Back from the Park City / L.A. trip with a new perspective and the seeds of a revised Game Plan taking root. One of the biggest dangers a filmmaker faces is tweaking the "finished product" so much that you completely screw it up. At some point you simply have to let go and let the movie gods take your film and do what they will with it. But here's the thing...I was lucky enough to be able to screen Beautiful Noise to over 2,500 people in 3 completely different geographic locations over the last 6 weeks or so and can now incorporate their response to the film into my thinking. The happy dilemma I now face is to leave the movie as-is after a quick re-edit of some small things I noticed that could be improved...or reshoot entire sequences that are good...but that I've decided could become great. It's not just an artistic decision, but a pure business determination as well. The feedback from the film fests and from industry pros I've shown the film to thus far has formed a consensus in my mind that we're closer than I ever dreamed to having something that could rival some of the best indie musicals ever made...in particular, the wonderful film Once. If you haven't seen Once, do yourself a favor and go rent it today. The same formula I used in making BN was employed: Great original Soundtrack; unknown actors who were accomplished singer/songwriters; a poignant Story; and shot on an extremely low budget. I love the film and it not only found distribution worldwide but had a terrific box office run and dvd/soundtrack sales thanks to the skilled rollout marketing approach Fox Searchlight utilized. I actually like our Soundtrack far better overall and, like Once, believe that if we get any kind of traction that one of Kimber Cleveland's songs could easily be nominated for a Golden Globe or Academy Award. Bold words to be sure...but no hype here. Buy our Soundtrack online at ITunes or at our website and you'll understand my bravado on the subject.
So there it is. I can choose to leave Beautiful Noise pretty much as-is or double down and redirect resources targeted for the prequel and sequel and go for the potentially bigger return that could come from some targeted reshoots. After all the excitement and non-stop running I've done over the last few months to get to this point in the process, I'm prone to take the advice of close associates to just chill for a week or so and do nothing but get my tan together at Siesta Beach and catch up on some sleep. Sounds like good advice.
I have an important conference call today that I think will help me determine the next move. A member of an entertainment family considered by one and all as "Hollywood Royalty" is now in the mix to review Beautiful Noise and give me her unvarnished take on the best course of action. The accomplished producer/story editor comes from a legendary Family Tree of directors, producers and actors that have created some of the most memorable and successful dramas and comedies of the last three decades, so once again, I'm very lucky to have access to that kind of professional critique. At the end of the day, it's my call...and with so much riding on this next critically important decision I'm blessed with the option to just take my hands off the wheel for the moment, take a breather, go walk the beach and get my mind right. I'm confident that once things settle a bit and after I make the trip to SoCal to huddle with the new Hollywood contact that Clarity and Direction will once again rule the day.
It may be a little while before I make the next post to this blog 'cause nothing much is gonna happen until I decide which path to take...but when I do, it will be full steam ahead.
ST
Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Rocky Mountain High & California Dreamin'
Now that the first leg of taking Beautiful Noise on the film festival circuit is complete, I get a chance to sit back and reflect on things a bit. The response to the film in all 3 markets that it has played - Sarasota Florida, Dayton Ohio and Park City Utah - was exactly the same. Audience reaction was uniformly positive, at times emotional, and in all cases in complete agreement that the Soundtrack is amazing. It hit me at Wednesday nights' Park City screening that the film really works on multiple levels. There's something in it for every demographic. I saw where I can tighten up 2-3 edits in the first 20 minutes of the film to help the pacing and I still wanna oversee some additional work on the color correction - but other than that, I came to the realization that the movie is extremely entertaining and marketable. Yeah, I know...I've been saying that all along...but there was just something in that Rocky Mountain environment that allowed me to really critique the film in a way that I haven't been able to do before. I was flying solo in Utah as my stars and co-producers were not available to attend with me, and there were no distractions like the sheer excitement of the Sarasota World Premiere or the rush of family and friends who attended the Dayton screening. Wednesday night it was just me, the movie and Park City film enthusiasts who had no ties whatsoever to Beautiful Noise...and in those moments sitting with that new audience I finally got the chance to see BN like any other movie goer will. And I liked it a lot. The theatre was a major venue that's used for the celebrated Sundance Film Festival. The sound was fabulous as the music rang through the theatre in the richest stereo mix I've heard at any of the screenings so far...which is vitally important for a Musical. Chatting with people after the screening, fielding their questions and explaining how we made the film, I had the overwhelming feeling that it's not going to matter where Beautiful Noise plays. It's a damn good indie film that makes people laugh, makes 'em cry, and makes you think a little bit about the message of the piece. What more can a filmmaker ask for?
I flew to SoCal from Utah to spend a coupla days to rest up, finish polishing the prequel, Serenade, and review the Game Plan to secure a distribution deal. The film festival circuit cranks back up later this summer and fall, so I have time to work all the distribution angles and raise $ for the upcoming Dublin trip. I not only want to test screen BN in Europe to gauge the foreign box office appeal (another selling point to acquisition agents) but we're also holding auditions for a key role in Serenade. I'm on the hunt for an Irish version of Kimber Cleveland. Adding a new cast member who is a singer/actress from Ireland, as yet unknown to USA audiences, holds a lot of interest to me. I want to populate the Beautiful Noise Trilogy with amazing performers and produce Soundtracks that are unique from each other...which is another reason I'm here in L.A. - as I'm catching Ana Popovic's show this weekend and working to add her to our international Cast of Serenade.
It's almost June. This time last year we had a Table Read of Beautiful Noise in Sarasota and held the fleeting hope that we could somehow find a way to shoot the movie. Now here I am, a year later, writing another blog post about the completed film, its current success at film festivals across the country, the planned European premiere of the movie and the prep of the next 2 BN installments that will start principal photography this year. It's incredible how your dreams can be realized if you're willing to draw a line in the sand and make a firm decision, work your ass off, and never ever give up.
ST
I flew to SoCal from Utah to spend a coupla days to rest up, finish polishing the prequel, Serenade, and review the Game Plan to secure a distribution deal. The film festival circuit cranks back up later this summer and fall, so I have time to work all the distribution angles and raise $ for the upcoming Dublin trip. I not only want to test screen BN in Europe to gauge the foreign box office appeal (another selling point to acquisition agents) but we're also holding auditions for a key role in Serenade. I'm on the hunt for an Irish version of Kimber Cleveland. Adding a new cast member who is a singer/actress from Ireland, as yet unknown to USA audiences, holds a lot of interest to me. I want to populate the Beautiful Noise Trilogy with amazing performers and produce Soundtracks that are unique from each other...which is another reason I'm here in L.A. - as I'm catching Ana Popovic's show this weekend and working to add her to our international Cast of Serenade.
It's almost June. This time last year we had a Table Read of Beautiful Noise in Sarasota and held the fleeting hope that we could somehow find a way to shoot the movie. Now here I am, a year later, writing another blog post about the completed film, its current success at film festivals across the country, the planned European premiere of the movie and the prep of the next 2 BN installments that will start principal photography this year. It's incredible how your dreams can be realized if you're willing to draw a line in the sand and make a firm decision, work your ass off, and never ever give up.
ST
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Dayton Embrace
I can't tell you what a relief it was to see how the Dayton audience matched the enthusiastic response we enjoyed at last months' Sarasota Film Festival World Premiere of Beautiful Noise. I mean, you just never know how your film is gonna play from one region of the country to the next. In Sarasota, I'm a relative unknown - so the audience response came from a place that had no preconceived notions. The Dayton crowd, on the other hand, walked in with a hint of skepticism due primarily to the fact that the last time anyone in town saw a Steve Tatone production it either featured General Motors products or appeals to support the local food banks through a series of TV specials and documentaries I produced over 20 years ago. I was a known commodity back in the day in southwest Ohio and the notoriety had nothing to do with feature filmmaking. Fortunately, it appears our indie musical-drama instantly created a brand new picture in the hearts and minds of the sizable crowd that screened our movie at this past weekends' FilmDayton Festival. The 'Prodigal Son' came home and conquered - as the audience responded with an enthusiasm that made me incredibly proud of my Cast & Crew. They laughed, they cried and they bought the Soundtrack CD in the same ratio of audience # to CD sales as the Sarasota screenings. In short - Beautiful Noise was a big hit in Dayton, Ohio! Nice to see the old hometown embrace the movie in such a passionate way.
Now it's on to Utah this week and the next big test at the Park City Film Music Festival. I hope we hit the trifecta in this, our 3rd Film Festival experience.
And just so you don't start thinking that all I'm gonna write about are the good things that happen along this indie filmmaking trail, I'm still a bit confounded by the technical challenges I suspect all filmmakers experience from one film fest to another...as every screening of the movie so far, from the Sarasota to Dayton showcases, has looked and sounded different from the final cut product we delivered. One screening looks better from a color-correction standpoint than another...and the sound quality - which I know is fantastic in the first place thanks to the time and money we spent on the overall sound mix in post production - continues to be less than perfect. I know that each theatre has different sound and projector settings and it's driving me crazy to watch the movie and see/hear the glitches...most of which have nothing to do with anything my Team did to the film. Amazingly, when I mention my disappointment of these technical flaws, people look at me like I'm nuts. They just don't notice the things I'm wincing about and think I'm overreacting. But I'm not. We worked hard to get it right...and yes, I still have just a coupla more minor tweaks to make in the film. But at some point soon I hope I can see the movie projected in a theatre that dials in just the right settings so the audience can see and hear the movie the way we've produced it.
Is it possible I doth protest too much? Yeah...probably so. But if the film is causing such an emotional stir as-is, I can't wait to see what the full effect of seeing and hearing the movie in all its technically pristine production glory will have on an audience. Don't get me wrong, the film fest tech folks in Sarasota & Dayton did great work overall...but damn...I just feel like we haven't quite hit the sweet spot yet. Maybe Park City can dial up that perfect technical screening I crave...
ST
Now it's on to Utah this week and the next big test at the Park City Film Music Festival. I hope we hit the trifecta in this, our 3rd Film Festival experience.
And just so you don't start thinking that all I'm gonna write about are the good things that happen along this indie filmmaking trail, I'm still a bit confounded by the technical challenges I suspect all filmmakers experience from one film fest to another...as every screening of the movie so far, from the Sarasota to Dayton showcases, has looked and sounded different from the final cut product we delivered. One screening looks better from a color-correction standpoint than another...and the sound quality - which I know is fantastic in the first place thanks to the time and money we spent on the overall sound mix in post production - continues to be less than perfect. I know that each theatre has different sound and projector settings and it's driving me crazy to watch the movie and see/hear the glitches...most of which have nothing to do with anything my Team did to the film. Amazingly, when I mention my disappointment of these technical flaws, people look at me like I'm nuts. They just don't notice the things I'm wincing about and think I'm overreacting. But I'm not. We worked hard to get it right...and yes, I still have just a coupla more minor tweaks to make in the film. But at some point soon I hope I can see the movie projected in a theatre that dials in just the right settings so the audience can see and hear the movie the way we've produced it.
Is it possible I doth protest too much? Yeah...probably so. But if the film is causing such an emotional stir as-is, I can't wait to see what the full effect of seeing and hearing the movie in all its technically pristine production glory will have on an audience. Don't get me wrong, the film fest tech folks in Sarasota & Dayton did great work overall...but damn...I just feel like we haven't quite hit the sweet spot yet. Maybe Park City can dial up that perfect technical screening I crave...
ST
Saturday, May 21, 2011
FilmDayton Festival update & the 'Ana' Connection
Just a quick blast to say it's been a fast & furious trip to the old stomping grounds so far. The FilmDayton Festival is in full swing and I'm having fun reconnecting with Family & Friends from days of yore and making new friends. The Dayton film fest organizers are working extremely hard in this, the 3rd year of the event, and it's been great to be a part of this growing effort to develop a full-fledged film industry in the Miami Valley. I've met with serious players here in the community whose sole interest is to create and sustain a vibrant environment for filmmakers to bring their projects to Dayton - and I'm enthused by the level of interest in the possibility of bringing one or more of my film projects to the area. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the town I grew up in, so we'll see where that road leads...
I met with an absolute killer blues-rock artist - Ana Popovic - yesterday in Columbus and am working to sign her to co-star with Danielle & Jay in the BN prequel, "Serenade". Ana nearly was cast in the role of 'Candy' for the current film, but the logistics didn't work out - which turned out just fine because I went on from there to find and cast the incredible Kimber Cleveland - and the rest is history. There's a time and a place for everything...so it looks like this year is the time and Sarasota is the place for Ana to join the cast of "Serenade". Danielle and I will be meeting with Ana soon to discuss the details, so hopefully we'll have another casting announcement in the near future. For more info on this fantastic talent who is extremely well-known on the European music festival circuit and who is blazing a trail for herself in the USA - check out http://www.anapopovic.com/. The pivotal supporting role I have in mind for Ana in "Serenade" could become a breakout event for her and a tremendous boost for the BN Franchise overall, as the foreign box office potential expands greatly having her on the Team.
The "Beautiful Noise" Dayton premiere happens this afternoon - and Kimber, who is in town with me for the screening, performs her solo concert tonight at the legendary Gilly's nightclub in downtown Dayton. I'll report back in later and let you know if the Dayton crowds' enthusiasm for our film matches the Sarasota response. It's certainly going to be a 'teachable moment' for me.
ST
I met with an absolute killer blues-rock artist - Ana Popovic - yesterday in Columbus and am working to sign her to co-star with Danielle & Jay in the BN prequel, "Serenade". Ana nearly was cast in the role of 'Candy' for the current film, but the logistics didn't work out - which turned out just fine because I went on from there to find and cast the incredible Kimber Cleveland - and the rest is history. There's a time and a place for everything...so it looks like this year is the time and Sarasota is the place for Ana to join the cast of "Serenade". Danielle and I will be meeting with Ana soon to discuss the details, so hopefully we'll have another casting announcement in the near future. For more info on this fantastic talent who is extremely well-known on the European music festival circuit and who is blazing a trail for herself in the USA - check out http://www.anapopovic.com/. The pivotal supporting role I have in mind for Ana in "Serenade" could become a breakout event for her and a tremendous boost for the BN Franchise overall, as the foreign box office potential expands greatly having her on the Team.
The "Beautiful Noise" Dayton premiere happens this afternoon - and Kimber, who is in town with me for the screening, performs her solo concert tonight at the legendary Gilly's nightclub in downtown Dayton. I'll report back in later and let you know if the Dayton crowds' enthusiasm for our film matches the Sarasota response. It's certainly going to be a 'teachable moment' for me.
ST
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Balancing Act
It's all most indie filmmakers can do to draw attention to their movie once they survive the battle to get it made...so I'm grateful for the set of circumstances that enabled Beautiful Noise to come out of the gate strong with our incredible world premiere experience at the Sarasota Film Festival last month, followed up by screenings at the Dayton Film Festival next Saturday and the Park City Film Music Festival in Utah on May 25th. Our film festival strategy is crucial to our singular objective to acquire distribution and we're off to a good start on that score. Slowly but surely, the film is getting out there and having a positive, emotional impact on audiences. And far and away - the #1 comment from everyone who has seen the film has been about the incredible Soundtrack, so I figure a wise move at this juncture is to do everything possible to exploit that sentiment.
Several national record promotion companies have already contacted me offering their services to take select songs from the BN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and work targeted markets and radio station chains to get us airplay...as they agree with me that we have 4-5 songs that could become breakout hits. Radio airplay = Soundtrack sales = live BN concert opportunities = interest in seeing the movie = worldwide distribution. It's an important formula to understand and put into action.
The album is finally available for purchase on ITunes, Amazon and other digital download sites as well as on the movie website's online store...so the full court press is about to be unleashed to promote the Beautiful Noise music score. It's going to be interesting to see what breaks first - the Movie or the Soundtrack album. Both have tremendous potential. One thing's for sure - the success of one will draw huge attention to the other. My job now is to balance the available resources and make certain both entertainment vehicles find their way in the competitive marketplace.
In today's indie film world I've come to understand that it takes perfect planning and time to nurture your product and navigate the sea of opportunities that exist...and I learned a long time ago that Patience is genius. In years past I had a lot of success shooting from the hip and going with my gut instincts alone when it came to marketing...but this is different. There are more variables in play, so I have to really bear down and focus on the consequences of every move to ensure a positive result.
First-time indie filmmakers take note. I've said it before, I'm saying it again. Pay as much attention to marketing your Art as you do creating it. Get help if it's not something you do as a natural reflex...but by all means necessary - learn to promote the hell out of your film. The payoff for all involved is tremendous...but there's little room for error. Think it all the way through with the end result you seek firmly in mind at all times. Don't get distracted from the Goal.
Then go for it.
ST
Several national record promotion companies have already contacted me offering their services to take select songs from the BN Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and work targeted markets and radio station chains to get us airplay...as they agree with me that we have 4-5 songs that could become breakout hits. Radio airplay = Soundtrack sales = live BN concert opportunities = interest in seeing the movie = worldwide distribution. It's an important formula to understand and put into action.
The album is finally available for purchase on ITunes, Amazon and other digital download sites as well as on the movie website's online store...so the full court press is about to be unleashed to promote the Beautiful Noise music score. It's going to be interesting to see what breaks first - the Movie or the Soundtrack album. Both have tremendous potential. One thing's for sure - the success of one will draw huge attention to the other. My job now is to balance the available resources and make certain both entertainment vehicles find their way in the competitive marketplace.
In today's indie film world I've come to understand that it takes perfect planning and time to nurture your product and navigate the sea of opportunities that exist...and I learned a long time ago that Patience is genius. In years past I had a lot of success shooting from the hip and going with my gut instincts alone when it came to marketing...but this is different. There are more variables in play, so I have to really bear down and focus on the consequences of every move to ensure a positive result.
First-time indie filmmakers take note. I've said it before, I'm saying it again. Pay as much attention to marketing your Art as you do creating it. Get help if it's not something you do as a natural reflex...but by all means necessary - learn to promote the hell out of your film. The payoff for all involved is tremendous...but there's little room for error. Think it all the way through with the end result you seek firmly in mind at all times. Don't get distracted from the Goal.
Then go for it.
ST
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Official Selection - Park City Film Music Festival!
I was just informed that Beautiful Noise is an Official Selection of the Park City Film Music Festival taking place May 20-30 in Park City, Utah. Hope the actual screening date doesn't conflict with our Dayton Film Festival showcase on May 21st. It might be tough to be in 2 places at one time...
The cool thing about the Park City fest is that we'll be in competition with both Hollywood & Indie films from all over the world in the category of "Best Use of Music in a Feature Film". I wouldn't bet against us. I'll put our Soundtrack singers and songwriters up against anyone!
More details soon on the Park City schedule. Hope I get to meet the "Sundance Kid" at the film festival. Now that would be a huge Smile!
ST
The cool thing about the Park City fest is that we'll be in competition with both Hollywood & Indie films from all over the world in the category of "Best Use of Music in a Feature Film". I wouldn't bet against us. I'll put our Soundtrack singers and songwriters up against anyone!
More details soon on the Park City schedule. Hope I get to meet the "Sundance Kid" at the film festival. Now that would be a huge Smile!
ST
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Thumbs Up from the King
It's a well-documented fact by now that Beautiful Noise - the Movie has nothing whatsoever to do with the life & times & music of Neil Diamond and that it's a completely fictional Story filled with original songs - even though the great Title is taken from one of Neil's best albums from over 30 years ago. That said, I'll never deny the fact that I owe my inspiration for writing and creating the movie to the Muse inside that has favored the lyric and melodies of Mr. Diamond since my early teens. So during those first sold out screenings in April I really enjoyed watching fellow 'Diamondheads' in the audiences (and like Jimmy Buffetts' 'Parrotheads', we are legion in number and passionate about the Music and Vibe of our respective Troubadours) as they reacted with knowing looks and grins to all the coded Diamond references sprinkled throughout the movie. My homage to Neil was important to me, 'cause I can't begin to tell you how his music has kept me going over the years...both in times of joy and strife. That's the great thing about Music, isn't it? It has the power to make you look for rainbows during every rainy day and the power to heal when the dark clouds just won't subside. And when you hear your favorite songs performed live in concert by the person who created them, well...it just doesn't get any better than that...
So you can imagine what a real Smile it was for me this weekend when I got the biggest 'Thumbs Up' yet for the film from Neil's friend and longtime bandmember of the NDRRT - King Errisson. King's cameo in Beautiful Noise is terrific and he was missed at our Sarasota Premiere last month - but the 'King of the Conga's' was travelling with his fellow Diamond Muzoids on the opening legs of their World Tour - to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa - so we knew he had a schedule conflict. But Friday I had a chance to meet with King at Jay's house in Vegas to screen the film and discuss King's expanded role in the BN prequel & sequel. I gotta admit, I was more nervous watching King watch the movie than I've been with anyone else so far. I mean...talk about someone of King's stature who not only performed in the film and on the Soundtrack album, but you know damn well that he's not gonna pull any punches critiquing the quality of the film and especially the music. The man is a consumate pro, and after all - BN is a Musical! So even though King is the nicest guy in the world, I was braced for anything when the last of the film credits and final song ended.
My fears subsided quickly and I knew we were OK when the first words out of the legendary percussionists' mouth were: "We've got to find Distribution for this right away Steve." He loved the film, mentioned the same coupla edit points Marc and I already have targeted, praised Danielle's jaw-dropping performance and Kimber's work and incredible songs and immediately gave me the name and personal cell phone number of a close friend, the VP of Distribution of a major Studio. On the way out he gave his pal Jay a big congratulatory hug, then turned and flashed his famous smile, shook my hand and asked me to send him the BN Serenade & Heartlight scripts asap. I had already gone over the storylines of the prequel and sequel before I showed him the movie, so he's ready to reprise his role when we start shooting again later this year...knowing it's no longer a cameo, but rather an expansion of his part that is critical to the overall storytelling of the Trilogy.
I gave King several copies of the Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD and
BN T-shirts that sport the movie tagline - "Surviving the Life never sounded so good" on the back...and couldn't help wondering as he drove away if somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, when he and his bandmates are jetting to their European concert dates in June, if their Vocalist might notice King's BN shirt or inquire about the new CD he's listening to. How cool would it be if the sum total of my Cast & Crew's effort to create our Musical-Drama brings a Smile to the man's face who inspired it all?
ST
So you can imagine what a real Smile it was for me this weekend when I got the biggest 'Thumbs Up' yet for the film from Neil's friend and longtime bandmember of the NDRRT - King Errisson. King's cameo in Beautiful Noise is terrific and he was missed at our Sarasota Premiere last month - but the 'King of the Conga's' was travelling with his fellow Diamond Muzoids on the opening legs of their World Tour - to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa - so we knew he had a schedule conflict. But Friday I had a chance to meet with King at Jay's house in Vegas to screen the film and discuss King's expanded role in the BN prequel & sequel. I gotta admit, I was more nervous watching King watch the movie than I've been with anyone else so far. I mean...talk about someone of King's stature who not only performed in the film and on the Soundtrack album, but you know damn well that he's not gonna pull any punches critiquing the quality of the film and especially the music. The man is a consumate pro, and after all - BN is a Musical! So even though King is the nicest guy in the world, I was braced for anything when the last of the film credits and final song ended.
My fears subsided quickly and I knew we were OK when the first words out of the legendary percussionists' mouth were: "We've got to find Distribution for this right away Steve." He loved the film, mentioned the same coupla edit points Marc and I already have targeted, praised Danielle's jaw-dropping performance and Kimber's work and incredible songs and immediately gave me the name and personal cell phone number of a close friend, the VP of Distribution of a major Studio. On the way out he gave his pal Jay a big congratulatory hug, then turned and flashed his famous smile, shook my hand and asked me to send him the BN Serenade & Heartlight scripts asap. I had already gone over the storylines of the prequel and sequel before I showed him the movie, so he's ready to reprise his role when we start shooting again later this year...knowing it's no longer a cameo, but rather an expansion of his part that is critical to the overall storytelling of the Trilogy.
I gave King several copies of the Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD and
BN T-shirts that sport the movie tagline - "Surviving the Life never sounded so good" on the back...and couldn't help wondering as he drove away if somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, when he and his bandmates are jetting to their European concert dates in June, if their Vocalist might notice King's BN shirt or inquire about the new CD he's listening to. How cool would it be if the sum total of my Cast & Crew's effort to create our Musical-Drama brings a Smile to the man's face who inspired it all?
ST
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
New Songs...new Scripts...and new Perspectives
Never a dull moment...
While we tweak the edit on Beautiful Noise this week as a result of the Sarasota screenings, I've been polishing the screenplays for the prequel and sequel and listening to a lot of great original songs that have been submitted for the next 2 BN films. No major changes are being made in the edit, but Marc and I did see a couple of things that made us cringe a little...but that apparently was completely missed by the 2000 + people who have seen the movie so far who were absorbed by the Story and the Characters. One new shot we're adding for sure is an establishing exterior scene of Los Angeles, as the film starts in 1974 in L.A. and then makes its way to present day southwest Florida. But other than that one additional shot, the edits we'll make to two different sequences are minor...but necessary. We're fielding some conflicting input as some people we show the film to who are in the business from a "crew" standpoint are quick to point out a few technical flaws that we're addressing...but after extensive Q&A's with audience members who have seen the film once or twice we get a completely different perspective. "Civilians" absolutely love most everything about the film as is and they seem surprised when we ask them about the so-called flaws that some tech people point out. They just don't understand what we're talking about as they are so engrossed in the emotion and message and songs in the movie. I've decided that the best thing to do now is to show the film outside Sarasota and test screen it in Ft Myers and Tampa and Orlando to make certain that the reactions and positive rave reviews we're getting are as genuine as we believe them to be. Those test screenings plus the reaction coming out of the Dayton Film Festival will guide us and put some things to rest. You can tweak your movie forever and never be completely satisfied and in fact screw it up if you're not careful...so we'll see what some new audiences think and then go with the flow. Better to deal with this stuff now before the summer/fall international film festival schedule kicks into high gear.
Meanwhile, I have a core group of primary actors and crew who are involved in the upcoming Serenade & Heartlight BN projects who are anxious to read the 2 new scripts. I've had the storylines fleshed out for some time now...but like the current film, I am writing the lyrics of the songs I'm selecting right into the screenplays because they once again are crucial in propelling the action and character development - so it's taking a little longer to polish because I keep finding cool new songs to add to the mix.
April was a spectacular month for our Beautiful Noise Team and May looks like it's going to be just as productive. The Dayton Film Festival is our next stop in a couple of weeks...then the rollercoaster ride of film festivals and special showcases in the US & Europe will dominate our schedule while pre-production commences on the 2 new BN movies.
Lots of moving parts...and lots of opportunities for all involved. We're building both a film franchise and an indie movie production company all at the same time.
Have I mentioned lately how much fun this all is?
ST
While we tweak the edit on Beautiful Noise this week as a result of the Sarasota screenings, I've been polishing the screenplays for the prequel and sequel and listening to a lot of great original songs that have been submitted for the next 2 BN films. No major changes are being made in the edit, but Marc and I did see a couple of things that made us cringe a little...but that apparently was completely missed by the 2000 + people who have seen the movie so far who were absorbed by the Story and the Characters. One new shot we're adding for sure is an establishing exterior scene of Los Angeles, as the film starts in 1974 in L.A. and then makes its way to present day southwest Florida. But other than that one additional shot, the edits we'll make to two different sequences are minor...but necessary. We're fielding some conflicting input as some people we show the film to who are in the business from a "crew" standpoint are quick to point out a few technical flaws that we're addressing...but after extensive Q&A's with audience members who have seen the film once or twice we get a completely different perspective. "Civilians" absolutely love most everything about the film as is and they seem surprised when we ask them about the so-called flaws that some tech people point out. They just don't understand what we're talking about as they are so engrossed in the emotion and message and songs in the movie. I've decided that the best thing to do now is to show the film outside Sarasota and test screen it in Ft Myers and Tampa and Orlando to make certain that the reactions and positive rave reviews we're getting are as genuine as we believe them to be. Those test screenings plus the reaction coming out of the Dayton Film Festival will guide us and put some things to rest. You can tweak your movie forever and never be completely satisfied and in fact screw it up if you're not careful...so we'll see what some new audiences think and then go with the flow. Better to deal with this stuff now before the summer/fall international film festival schedule kicks into high gear.
Meanwhile, I have a core group of primary actors and crew who are involved in the upcoming Serenade & Heartlight BN projects who are anxious to read the 2 new scripts. I've had the storylines fleshed out for some time now...but like the current film, I am writing the lyrics of the songs I'm selecting right into the screenplays because they once again are crucial in propelling the action and character development - so it's taking a little longer to polish because I keep finding cool new songs to add to the mix.
April was a spectacular month for our Beautiful Noise Team and May looks like it's going to be just as productive. The Dayton Film Festival is our next stop in a couple of weeks...then the rollercoaster ride of film festivals and special showcases in the US & Europe will dominate our schedule while pre-production commences on the 2 new BN movies.
Lots of moving parts...and lots of opportunities for all involved. We're building both a film franchise and an indie movie production company all at the same time.
Have I mentioned lately how much fun this all is?
ST
Saturday, April 30, 2011
An Incredible Start
The last scene in a favorite Robert Redford film of mine, The Candidate, comes to mind this morning. After taking the blows of running the gauntlet and going through a seemingly impossible journey of running for a California Senate seat he had absolutely no chance of winning, Redford's character - who has just beaten the odds and won the election by just being himself, bucking the usual tactics and laying everything on the line with a 'take it or leave it' attitude - looks to his campaign manager amid the wild celebration of their victory and asks him quietly: "What do I do now?". After all...he wasn't supposed to win...and now that he has...it's a scenario he can't quite get his mind around because he never thought, deep down, he really had even a remote chance of breaking through and winning. But win he did.
I can relate to that.
Don't get me wrong...there's a Game Plan in place that I've carefully crafted with my exec producer Wendy Williams that's geared to the singular objective of acquiring the best possible distribution deal for Beautiful Noise...but after the whirlwind of the last 18 months in general to get the movie made and the last 60 days in particular to prep it for our World Premiere here in Sarasota...I write this blog post with a sense of "How in the hell did all this happen?" and "What do I do now?".
The incredible start that every indie filmmaker dreams of has happened. The movie is a hit...at least to the 2000 + people who have seen it so far. I mean, the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, as evidenced by the 6 six sold out screenings at the recently concluded Sarasota Film Festival and again last night at the exclusive one-night-only screening at Riverview's PAC that generated a lot of cash for the schools' drama department. Audiences are moved emotionally by both the film and the Soundtrack...they're all asking when the DVD will be available and meanwhile buying the Soundtrack CD after each screening in record numbers - and the report back from people is that they can't stop listening to the 18-track album as it has an addictive quality to it somehow. Like I've said before...it's 18 great songs with 5-6 breakout smash hits on it...so there's no doubt in my mind that there is huge financial potential for Beautiful Noise once we find the correct marketing path that leads to worldwide distribution.
And therein lies the rub. It's one thing to worry about your film being commercial enough to be successful financially...but it's quite another to absolutely KNOW that people will want to see it once the all-important positive word-of-mouth takes root...but now, after all the excitement and congrats and hoopla and frenzied experience of this unforgettable month of April - Reality is setting in. There's more work to do, and this is no time to sit back and bask in the warm embrace of our hometown audiences and investors. It's time to finish the job and either sell off the North American and Foreign distribution rights or decide to self distribute and clean up financially without the cost of a "middle-man" in the process. Thankfully, we have that option because we created a feature length musical-drama that looks and sounds like a multi-million dollar production...for far less than the 'going rate' of such an endeavor. But first, we have to find a way to break through the Wall that is standing between our popular movie and the worldwide film audiences who we know will enjoy Beautiful Noise. That Wall is represented by the studio execs and distributors' acquisition agents who comb the international film festival circuit looking for 'sleeper hits' to fill their distribution pipelines. The trick now is to get their attention and make certain that our film is as technically perfect as we can possibly make it.
When I sit and watch the audience response to BN I am both amazed and grateful; amazed that my Story and the performances of my Cast touches peoples' hearts...and grateful that they seem to be overlooking all the little things my co-producers and I still see in the film that need to be tweaked. 'Civilians' don't seem to notice the minor technical flaws that drive me crazy because, as an audience, they are hooked into the movie and following the plot at the edge of their seat. So like I stated before...it's just mind-blowing to know that the film can be released as is and do incredible business - but if we're holding out for a while to test the studio distribution scenario, which is potentially the most lucrative financially in the short run, then we need to take the time before the next round of film festival submissions and go in and correct the minor tech issues that only we and the festival programming committees still can see. Thank God it's nothing major...but we clearly see where we can tighten up an edit here and there and also rework the color correction in places, etc.
So that's what we do next. And while that's going on in the next 2 weeks, I'm meeting more investors who love the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the Beautiful Noise Franchise; flying west this week to meet with Danielle, Jay & King Errisson about the new screenplays for the next 2 BN installments - Serenade & Heartlight; continue the search for new original songs for those films that we start shooting this Fall in Sarasota; begin the casting process for a coupla new key Characters I'm introducing into the Storylines; prep for the next film festival screening back in my old stomping grounds in Dayton, Ohio and continue to map out the international film festival strategy.
First - I think I'll take a couple of deep breaths and work in a little meditation time. I gotta feeling that finding those 'quiet moments' is going to be a challenge this year...not that I'm complaining mind you. I'm just sayin'...
ST
I can relate to that.
Don't get me wrong...there's a Game Plan in place that I've carefully crafted with my exec producer Wendy Williams that's geared to the singular objective of acquiring the best possible distribution deal for Beautiful Noise...but after the whirlwind of the last 18 months in general to get the movie made and the last 60 days in particular to prep it for our World Premiere here in Sarasota...I write this blog post with a sense of "How in the hell did all this happen?" and "What do I do now?".
The incredible start that every indie filmmaker dreams of has happened. The movie is a hit...at least to the 2000 + people who have seen it so far. I mean, the audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, as evidenced by the 6 six sold out screenings at the recently concluded Sarasota Film Festival and again last night at the exclusive one-night-only screening at Riverview's PAC that generated a lot of cash for the schools' drama department. Audiences are moved emotionally by both the film and the Soundtrack...they're all asking when the DVD will be available and meanwhile buying the Soundtrack CD after each screening in record numbers - and the report back from people is that they can't stop listening to the 18-track album as it has an addictive quality to it somehow. Like I've said before...it's 18 great songs with 5-6 breakout smash hits on it...so there's no doubt in my mind that there is huge financial potential for Beautiful Noise once we find the correct marketing path that leads to worldwide distribution.
And therein lies the rub. It's one thing to worry about your film being commercial enough to be successful financially...but it's quite another to absolutely KNOW that people will want to see it once the all-important positive word-of-mouth takes root...but now, after all the excitement and congrats and hoopla and frenzied experience of this unforgettable month of April - Reality is setting in. There's more work to do, and this is no time to sit back and bask in the warm embrace of our hometown audiences and investors. It's time to finish the job and either sell off the North American and Foreign distribution rights or decide to self distribute and clean up financially without the cost of a "middle-man" in the process. Thankfully, we have that option because we created a feature length musical-drama that looks and sounds like a multi-million dollar production...for far less than the 'going rate' of such an endeavor. But first, we have to find a way to break through the Wall that is standing between our popular movie and the worldwide film audiences who we know will enjoy Beautiful Noise. That Wall is represented by the studio execs and distributors' acquisition agents who comb the international film festival circuit looking for 'sleeper hits' to fill their distribution pipelines. The trick now is to get their attention and make certain that our film is as technically perfect as we can possibly make it.
When I sit and watch the audience response to BN I am both amazed and grateful; amazed that my Story and the performances of my Cast touches peoples' hearts...and grateful that they seem to be overlooking all the little things my co-producers and I still see in the film that need to be tweaked. 'Civilians' don't seem to notice the minor technical flaws that drive me crazy because, as an audience, they are hooked into the movie and following the plot at the edge of their seat. So like I stated before...it's just mind-blowing to know that the film can be released as is and do incredible business - but if we're holding out for a while to test the studio distribution scenario, which is potentially the most lucrative financially in the short run, then we need to take the time before the next round of film festival submissions and go in and correct the minor tech issues that only we and the festival programming committees still can see. Thank God it's nothing major...but we clearly see where we can tighten up an edit here and there and also rework the color correction in places, etc.
So that's what we do next. And while that's going on in the next 2 weeks, I'm meeting more investors who love the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the Beautiful Noise Franchise; flying west this week to meet with Danielle, Jay & King Errisson about the new screenplays for the next 2 BN installments - Serenade & Heartlight; continue the search for new original songs for those films that we start shooting this Fall in Sarasota; begin the casting process for a coupla new key Characters I'm introducing into the Storylines; prep for the next film festival screening back in my old stomping grounds in Dayton, Ohio and continue to map out the international film festival strategy.
First - I think I'll take a couple of deep breaths and work in a little meditation time. I gotta feeling that finding those 'quiet moments' is going to be a challenge this year...not that I'm complaining mind you. I'm just sayin'...
ST
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Suncoast Media Love
While it was a given that the local media would write about and cover Beautiful Noise, since we shot the film entirely on location here on Florida's Suncoast, there was no way to foresee the positive feature stories pouring in on us from everywhere in the region. Today's story by Wade Tatangelo of The Bradenton Herald - click on https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FPRK1w6a&h=aabed - is another in a series of terrific articles and coverage about our movie. My sincere thanks to Wade; Jay Handelman and Tim Sukits of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, David Jones and Linda McKnight of WSRZ-FM; Lenny Lyons, Gino Norman and the gang over at WTMY-AM and all the great media sources in the region who have written about or broadcast interviews of all things Beautiful Noise. You never have to recover from a good start...and the warm embrace of our Hometown Media has certainly provided us a platform to springboard into the international film festival scene with incredible momentum and a ton of confidence.
ST
ST
Riding The Wave
So far this week it's been non-stop meetings with investors and production staff, terrific media feature stories, song selections and script polishing of the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel and a slew of international film festival submissions. And there's no sign of a break in the action anytime soon. Working to acquire distribution for the current film while gearing up for pre-production on the next 2 BN installments makes for interesting days. It seems like, overnight, Midnight Pass Productions has gone from a fledging indie film company flying under the radar with one musical/drama to a vibrant movie production organization that has no less than 6 feature films, 3 Soundtrack albums, a TV pilot and stage adaptation in various stages of development. Suddenly there's a host of actors, musicians, songwriters and film crew bombarding our Team with Resumes and Audition requests; a switched-on local media following every move we make; and investors lining up to get in on the ground floor of a new industry taking root here in Sarasota - feature film production.
To be sure, I've been this way before...so I recognize the shape and size of the positive wave my Team and I are riding. Now it's our task to keep surfing the top crest of the wave so we can see where we're heading and make the right decisions as to how to maximize the opportunity. Beautiful Noise proved we're more than capable of creating entertaining films that can evoke a variety of emotions...but it's called Show-Biz...not Show-Fun...so I'm not taking my eye off the prize while all the hoopla and excitement for our movie continues to swirl all around us. We made a good movie. Now it's time to find creative ways for people to see and enjoy it.
I've never had the chance to sell a product that has worldwide appeal. Chronicling the process of selling the North American and Foreign rights to distributors, or deciding to self-distribute if it comes to that, should be as interesting and informative a read as anything else I've posted previously that's detailed how the movie was conceived and shot. I'm looking forward to revealing the highs and lows of that effort. Stay tuned.
ST
To be sure, I've been this way before...so I recognize the shape and size of the positive wave my Team and I are riding. Now it's our task to keep surfing the top crest of the wave so we can see where we're heading and make the right decisions as to how to maximize the opportunity. Beautiful Noise proved we're more than capable of creating entertaining films that can evoke a variety of emotions...but it's called Show-Biz...not Show-Fun...so I'm not taking my eye off the prize while all the hoopla and excitement for our movie continues to swirl all around us. We made a good movie. Now it's time to find creative ways for people to see and enjoy it.
I've never had the chance to sell a product that has worldwide appeal. Chronicling the process of selling the North American and Foreign rights to distributors, or deciding to self-distribute if it comes to that, should be as interesting and informative a read as anything else I've posted previously that's detailed how the movie was conceived and shot. I'm looking forward to revealing the highs and lows of that effort. Stay tuned.
ST
Monday, April 25, 2011
"Beautiful Noise" - The Stage Musical
Had a great Easter holiday. Rested up, walked the beach, got my mind right. Back in action and ramping up to launch the entire BN Franchise in full force - finding Distribution for the current film and Soundtrack, and producing the prequel, the sequel, the concert tour, the TV pilot and yes folks - the Stage Musical. Click on this terrific feature story by Jay Handelman of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for some highlights:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110424/BREAKING/110429706
Looking forward to meeting with a variety of veteran Suncoast stage producers and others to help me turn Beautiful Noise into a really cool Musical. I can just picture Danielle, Jay & Kimber reprising their roles on stage before live audiences...but who knows? If my movie stars are otherwise preoccupied, other terrific performers will step into those roles in the live stage version of BN. Time will tell...
I met this afternoon with a key member of our BN Composer Team - Dean Johanesen - to set the timetable for writing and recording specific songs for the BN 2 - "Serenade" & BN 3 - "Heartlight" films. Dean is gearing up to create wonderful new incidental music scores and also contribute new songs. I'm also deep into the hunt looking for original songs to include in both films, slated to be shot on location here in southwest Florida this Fall. I'm listening to tons of new music coming in from all directions. As this past weekends' SRQ "Noise Ordinance 2" music festival showcased, the Sarasota Music scene is thriving...and I'm looking forward to once again including local songwriters and musicians on the new Soundtracks.
ST
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110424/BREAKING/110429706
Looking forward to meeting with a variety of veteran Suncoast stage producers and others to help me turn Beautiful Noise into a really cool Musical. I can just picture Danielle, Jay & Kimber reprising their roles on stage before live audiences...but who knows? If my movie stars are otherwise preoccupied, other terrific performers will step into those roles in the live stage version of BN. Time will tell...
I met this afternoon with a key member of our BN Composer Team - Dean Johanesen - to set the timetable for writing and recording specific songs for the BN 2 - "Serenade" & BN 3 - "Heartlight" films. Dean is gearing up to create wonderful new incidental music scores and also contribute new songs. I'm also deep into the hunt looking for original songs to include in both films, slated to be shot on location here in southwest Florida this Fall. I'm listening to tons of new music coming in from all directions. As this past weekends' SRQ "Noise Ordinance 2" music festival showcased, the Sarasota Music scene is thriving...and I'm looking forward to once again including local songwriters and musicians on the new Soundtracks.
ST
Friday, April 22, 2011
Farewell Sidney
This week has been filled with daily meetings with investors and media interviews with journalists interested in the aftermath of our hugely successful Sold Out run of 6 screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival. Thankfully, the fact that Beautiful Noise has struck an emotional chord with most everyone who has seen it so far has caught the attention of a lot people and has resulted in a continuing wave of excitement and anticipation for the film and the upcoming BN prequel, sequel, TV pilot and stage musical that's in development. The Beautiful Noise Franchise has liftoff! It's been a fun week and it sets the stage for our final Sarasota screening of the season on Friday, April 29th at the Riverview H.S. Performing Arts Center.
At the moment, it's 4:20 in the morning and I've been up all night watching the tribute to the late, great Director Sidney Lumet on TCM. Never having attended film school, I've learned more from watching and studying the work of master filmmakers like Mr. Lumet then most anything else that's informed my film work. Just sitting here banging out this quick blog post while watching Pacino do his thing in Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon is yet another opportunity to soak up the incredible artistry of one of my favorite Directors of all time. I just finished a Musical where the Soundtrack and Music Score means everything...and here I am watching a drama that is so well done that it has no music whatsoever holding it together. It's simply a masterpiece.
From Fail Safe to Twelve Angry Men, from Serpico to Network and so many more classics, Sidney Lumet stands with the Giants of the Film Industry. Trailblazing for other Directors like Woody Allen and Edward Burns who also call New York City home and who love to shoot their movies in that great city, Sidney Lumet has been an inspiration to me and countless other filmmakers over the years. I hope I can look back some day at the body of work I'll have shot on location here on the Suncoast and feel as good as I know Sidney felt about getting up every morning and making movies in the city he loved.
Like many of his contemporaries who have gone before, Sidney Lumet will be sorely missed.
I'm shutting down the engines and cooling the jets this holiday weekend. It's a time for reflection and appreciation of all that's transpired...and a time to get grounded again. I'll watch Gibson's Passion of the Christ again and melt into the meaning of this Easter weekend...then crank things back up come Monday.
Have a great holiday and check back in next week. This indie film adventure is really just getting started, so I'll keep posting my experiences in the hope that it makes for an interesting read for those following along and also helps inform other filmmakers just starting out.
ST
At the moment, it's 4:20 in the morning and I've been up all night watching the tribute to the late, great Director Sidney Lumet on TCM. Never having attended film school, I've learned more from watching and studying the work of master filmmakers like Mr. Lumet then most anything else that's informed my film work. Just sitting here banging out this quick blog post while watching Pacino do his thing in Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon is yet another opportunity to soak up the incredible artistry of one of my favorite Directors of all time. I just finished a Musical where the Soundtrack and Music Score means everything...and here I am watching a drama that is so well done that it has no music whatsoever holding it together. It's simply a masterpiece.
From Fail Safe to Twelve Angry Men, from Serpico to Network and so many more classics, Sidney Lumet stands with the Giants of the Film Industry. Trailblazing for other Directors like Woody Allen and Edward Burns who also call New York City home and who love to shoot their movies in that great city, Sidney Lumet has been an inspiration to me and countless other filmmakers over the years. I hope I can look back some day at the body of work I'll have shot on location here on the Suncoast and feel as good as I know Sidney felt about getting up every morning and making movies in the city he loved.
Like many of his contemporaries who have gone before, Sidney Lumet will be sorely missed.
I'm shutting down the engines and cooling the jets this holiday weekend. It's a time for reflection and appreciation of all that's transpired...and a time to get grounded again. I'll watch Gibson's Passion of the Christ again and melt into the meaning of this Easter weekend...then crank things back up come Monday.
Have a great holiday and check back in next week. This indie film adventure is really just getting started, so I'll keep posting my experiences in the hope that it makes for an interesting read for those following along and also helps inform other filmmakers just starting out.
ST
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Like Butch & Sundance
So OK...it's a coupla days removed from our 6th and final Sold Out screening of Beautiful Noise at the Sarasota Film Festival...the most successful movie, box-office wise, ever to play the festival...and all everyone keeps asking me is "How does it feel?". And all I can manage to give them in return is a sigh of relief and a satisfied smile...until now. I've processed it all and experienced the tension flowing out of my mind and body, leaving me with, of all things, an empty feeling of sorts. It's almost the exact feeling I had the day after principal photography wrapped. My Cast & Crew departed after days of battle getting the film shot against all the odds...and there I was the next day...suddenly alone...feeling empty. So as the accolades continue to roll in this week, as my Team preps for the upcoming international film festival run, as we help Sarasota's Riverview High School promote the benefit screening of the film at their Performing Arts Hall on April 29th, at a time where I rightly should be gliding on air for having written, produced and directed a feature film that took the town by storm during one of the most prestigious film fests in the world...I can only say I feel a little like Butch and Sundance.
My all-time favorite movie is The Godfather...and a close second is Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. William Goldman's screenplay and Newman & Redfords' portrayal of the legendary outlaws has stayed with me for decades now. The final frames of the film showing Butch & Sundance trying to fight their way out of that South American plaza are among the most thrilling sequences I've ever experienced at the movies. After falling in love with the characters for two hours, watching them evade their pursuers and finding ways to clear every hurdle in front of them, I felt every shot that ripped through their bodies as they stumbled and fell together into the small room that briefly shielded them from the hellacious firepower they faced. Bloodied and exhausted from the gun battle, they still managed to kid with each other and yet, right before they bolted back out the door together to continue the fight, they paused, looked at and acknowledged each other...their friendship, their journey, their time together and what it took to get them to that time and place.
That's how I feel now.
When I look in the mirror and think back on everything it took the last 18 months to make the movie and have it ready in time to showcase at the Sarasota Film Festival, I see a bloodied, exhausted gunslinger looking back in the reflection. Making Beautiful Noise is the hardest thing I've ever done. Nothing...and I mean nothing about this indie motion picture was easy...with the sole exception of deciding to cast Danielle, Jay & Kimber. That was easy...'cause they are all fantastic people and you know that the moment you meet them. The rest of the process was a bitch. But at the same time, it's among the most worthwhile things I've ever tried and accomplished...and it has confirmed that this is what I'm supposed to be doing the rest of my life. I'm no longer chasing a Dream...I'm living it.
When Butch & Sundance blasted back out into the plaza, with guns drawn and determination written all over their faces, the picture goes to freeze-frame, desaturates from color to sepia tone, then the camera slowly pulls out to an extreme wide shot before it fades to black amid the echoes of gunfire that engulfed them. In my teens when I first saw the movie, I was always glad that my heroes were never shown gunned down by the Brazilian Army they faced. In my mind, I chose to believe that they somehow made it out of that plaza and made yet another getaway.
So yeah...that's how I feel. It was tough stuff...and there were more times than I can count where I thought it just wasn't going to happen...but I made it through...and I learned so much from the experience. Now I'm a full-fledged Filmmaker...with a core group of talented, loyal actors and crew that I'll work with time and time again...and a Musical-Drama I'm so proud of because it does what I set out to do...to entertain...to make 'em laugh and make 'em cry and send a little message along the way about the power of Love, Belief & Inspiration. The themes of Beautiful Noise mirrored the themes of making our indie film. Never give up...never give in...trust your gut instincts and keep moving forward...no matter what.
Standing still and waiting around for something good to happen is not in my DNA. Like Redford states in full "Sundance" mode at an important point in the film..."Can I move? I'm better when I move." So I'm moving fast to capitalize on the positive wave that has washed over our Beautiful Noise production. We're hot on the trail to secure worldwide distribution for our Movie and Soundtrack - and at the same time I'm polishing the screenplays and scheduling pre-production for the prequel and sequel. There's no time to waste. It's all happening...and the cool thing is, when it comes to figuring out how a movie like Beautiful Noise was made here on the Suncoast, there are an awful lot of people who are asking the same question Butch & Sundance did: "Who are those guys?".
We're Midnight Pass Productions. And we make feature-length movies in Sarasota Florida.
We do what others talk about.
We make it happen.
And we love what we do.
ST
My all-time favorite movie is The Godfather...and a close second is Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. William Goldman's screenplay and Newman & Redfords' portrayal of the legendary outlaws has stayed with me for decades now. The final frames of the film showing Butch & Sundance trying to fight their way out of that South American plaza are among the most thrilling sequences I've ever experienced at the movies. After falling in love with the characters for two hours, watching them evade their pursuers and finding ways to clear every hurdle in front of them, I felt every shot that ripped through their bodies as they stumbled and fell together into the small room that briefly shielded them from the hellacious firepower they faced. Bloodied and exhausted from the gun battle, they still managed to kid with each other and yet, right before they bolted back out the door together to continue the fight, they paused, looked at and acknowledged each other...their friendship, their journey, their time together and what it took to get them to that time and place.
That's how I feel now.
When I look in the mirror and think back on everything it took the last 18 months to make the movie and have it ready in time to showcase at the Sarasota Film Festival, I see a bloodied, exhausted gunslinger looking back in the reflection. Making Beautiful Noise is the hardest thing I've ever done. Nothing...and I mean nothing about this indie motion picture was easy...with the sole exception of deciding to cast Danielle, Jay & Kimber. That was easy...'cause they are all fantastic people and you know that the moment you meet them. The rest of the process was a bitch. But at the same time, it's among the most worthwhile things I've ever tried and accomplished...and it has confirmed that this is what I'm supposed to be doing the rest of my life. I'm no longer chasing a Dream...I'm living it.
When Butch & Sundance blasted back out into the plaza, with guns drawn and determination written all over their faces, the picture goes to freeze-frame, desaturates from color to sepia tone, then the camera slowly pulls out to an extreme wide shot before it fades to black amid the echoes of gunfire that engulfed them. In my teens when I first saw the movie, I was always glad that my heroes were never shown gunned down by the Brazilian Army they faced. In my mind, I chose to believe that they somehow made it out of that plaza and made yet another getaway.
So yeah...that's how I feel. It was tough stuff...and there were more times than I can count where I thought it just wasn't going to happen...but I made it through...and I learned so much from the experience. Now I'm a full-fledged Filmmaker...with a core group of talented, loyal actors and crew that I'll work with time and time again...and a Musical-Drama I'm so proud of because it does what I set out to do...to entertain...to make 'em laugh and make 'em cry and send a little message along the way about the power of Love, Belief & Inspiration. The themes of Beautiful Noise mirrored the themes of making our indie film. Never give up...never give in...trust your gut instincts and keep moving forward...no matter what.
Standing still and waiting around for something good to happen is not in my DNA. Like Redford states in full "Sundance" mode at an important point in the film..."Can I move? I'm better when I move." So I'm moving fast to capitalize on the positive wave that has washed over our Beautiful Noise production. We're hot on the trail to secure worldwide distribution for our Movie and Soundtrack - and at the same time I'm polishing the screenplays and scheduling pre-production for the prequel and sequel. There's no time to waste. It's all happening...and the cool thing is, when it comes to figuring out how a movie like Beautiful Noise was made here on the Suncoast, there are an awful lot of people who are asking the same question Butch & Sundance did: "Who are those guys?".
We're Midnight Pass Productions. And we make feature-length movies in Sarasota Florida.
We do what others talk about.
We make it happen.
And we love what we do.
ST
Monday, April 18, 2011
One More Last Chance
Quick News Flash -
Though we Sold Out 6 screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival, it was a bit discouraging so many people were turned away who really wanted to see Beautiful Noise. So early this morning I contacted Jim Minor over at Riverview High in Sarasota, the scene of our concert sequence in the film, and asked if they'd like to host a special One Night Only screening. Jim got back to me right away and said their Performing Arts Center is open on Friday, April 29th for a 7:00 pm showcase of the movie. Advance Tickets go on sale this Wednesday and 100% of the proceeds goes to the school to support their great programs for the student body. So if you were shut out from seeing the movie at the film festival...or if you'd like to see it again...this is your chance!
Look for ticket outlet info tomorrow on our Facebook movie site and on the Home Page of the official website at http://www.beautifulnoisethemovie.com/.
ST
Though we Sold Out 6 screenings at the Sarasota Film Festival, it was a bit discouraging so many people were turned away who really wanted to see Beautiful Noise. So early this morning I contacted Jim Minor over at Riverview High in Sarasota, the scene of our concert sequence in the film, and asked if they'd like to host a special One Night Only screening. Jim got back to me right away and said their Performing Arts Center is open on Friday, April 29th for a 7:00 pm showcase of the movie. Advance Tickets go on sale this Wednesday and 100% of the proceeds goes to the school to support their great programs for the student body. So if you were shut out from seeing the movie at the film festival...or if you'd like to see it again...this is your chance!
Look for ticket outlet info tomorrow on our Facebook movie site and on the Home Page of the official website at http://www.beautifulnoisethemovie.com/.
ST
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sarasota Film Festival recap
Sunday night / 10:45 pm
All I can do at the moment is detail a few high points...but I promise to go into more detail soon about the whole film festival experience. I'm just exhausted. My Team and I gave it everything we had these last coupla weeks...and we walked away with an all-time box office record for most screenings sold out in the history of the Sarasota Film Festival. The last Sold Out screening today at 2:00 pm had an additional 45 people in the Rush line desperately trying to get in to see Beautiful Noise...which is another record the SFF folks told me about. What an unbelievable response...
The audience was amazing today. I have never sat through a movie where people break into applause after a song - in this case Jay & Danielle's ballad - "Lonely Hearts"...penned by their castmate Doug Frasure. It did happen at the first screening last weekend 'cause the theatre was filled with cast & crew and our families and friends. But today it was a packed house filled with 'civilians'...people who are not connected to the production in any way. It was off the hook amazing. They even applauded the credits!
Then the Q&A went on for a long time after the lights came back up. Lots of questions about how was I able to make such a film here in Sarasota...and also how in the world did I find Danielle, Kimber, Jay and Chris? Everyone reacted strongly to the announcement that we're filming the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel back-to-back this fall in Sarasota...and they all wanted to know when the DVD would be available.
To leverage the incredible momentum we've generated coming out of the SFF, I've decided to allow additional screenings of BN for worthy Suncoast charitable causes in the next few weeks. There are a lot of frustrated moviegoers who tried unsuccessfully to see our film, so it makes sense to keep the ball rolling and use the excitement to raise $'s for local charities. More on this new development later this week...
Meanwhile, it's back to the beach and the gym to recharge the batteries, get my tan together and get back into great shape mentally and physically. I need to be ready for the tremendous travel and promotional schedule ahead that will be followed by long days of prepping the shooting schedules for BN 2 "Serenade" and BN 3 "Heartlight" later this year. After the special showcases this month here in Sarasota, our next film festival is in Dayton, Ohio May 20-22...then we hit the road to other US film fests and then on to Ireland and probably the UK early this summer.
I'll never forget these last 10 days at the SFF. Sarasota came out in droves to support Beautiful Noise. I'm only too happy to return their embrace by expanding the scope of our company, Midnight Pass Productions, and keep making indie feature films right here on the Suncoast.
ST
All I can do at the moment is detail a few high points...but I promise to go into more detail soon about the whole film festival experience. I'm just exhausted. My Team and I gave it everything we had these last coupla weeks...and we walked away with an all-time box office record for most screenings sold out in the history of the Sarasota Film Festival. The last Sold Out screening today at 2:00 pm had an additional 45 people in the Rush line desperately trying to get in to see Beautiful Noise...which is another record the SFF folks told me about. What an unbelievable response...
The audience was amazing today. I have never sat through a movie where people break into applause after a song - in this case Jay & Danielle's ballad - "Lonely Hearts"...penned by their castmate Doug Frasure. It did happen at the first screening last weekend 'cause the theatre was filled with cast & crew and our families and friends. But today it was a packed house filled with 'civilians'...people who are not connected to the production in any way. It was off the hook amazing. They even applauded the credits!
Then the Q&A went on for a long time after the lights came back up. Lots of questions about how was I able to make such a film here in Sarasota...and also how in the world did I find Danielle, Kimber, Jay and Chris? Everyone reacted strongly to the announcement that we're filming the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel back-to-back this fall in Sarasota...and they all wanted to know when the DVD would be available.
To leverage the incredible momentum we've generated coming out of the SFF, I've decided to allow additional screenings of BN for worthy Suncoast charitable causes in the next few weeks. There are a lot of frustrated moviegoers who tried unsuccessfully to see our film, so it makes sense to keep the ball rolling and use the excitement to raise $'s for local charities. More on this new development later this week...
Meanwhile, it's back to the beach and the gym to recharge the batteries, get my tan together and get back into great shape mentally and physically. I need to be ready for the tremendous travel and promotional schedule ahead that will be followed by long days of prepping the shooting schedules for BN 2 "Serenade" and BN 3 "Heartlight" later this year. After the special showcases this month here in Sarasota, our next film festival is in Dayton, Ohio May 20-22...then we hit the road to other US film fests and then on to Ireland and probably the UK early this summer.
I'll never forget these last 10 days at the SFF. Sarasota came out in droves to support Beautiful Noise. I'm only too happy to return their embrace by expanding the scope of our company, Midnight Pass Productions, and keep making indie feature films right here on the Suncoast.
ST
Unsung Heroes
Sunday morning: 8:40 am
Reflecting on everything in this quiet Sunday morning hour...trying to sort out the emotions and the next steps...gotta get to my walk on the beach and clear my head...
It's surreal. I can't stop replaying in my mind the flashes of film festival audience reactions to the movie...the laughs, the tears, the overwhelming applause at the end of each Sold Out screening. Then the scene changes to the blur of the Rush Line and demand for tickets, the positive reviews from the critics, the people coming up to me making appointments to invest in Beautiful Noise and the coming prequel and sequel...the clamor to buy the Soundtrack CD after each screening, watching the cast take their bows at the premiere and signing autographs, all the Red Carpet interviews, making the rounds at the SFF events with Danielle and realizing the impact the film will have on her and her co-stars...
...and then there's the flashbacks of the unsung heroes of Beautiful Noise...the small Team of people who stayed loyal and hung in with me through thick and thin...who helped me overcome every hurdle to get us to this place and time. From the intern production assistants to the staff at Riverview H.S.; from the legion of Suncoast sponsors to the family and friends who stepped up to kick-start the process; from the musicians and engineers who helped me create a hit soundtrack album to the Sarasota Film Commission staff who kept us pointed in the right direction - to the Cast members who had to keep juggling their lives and schedules due to changing production dates...it's just mind boggling what it took to get BN made and showcased.
Through that blur of scenes playing on an endless loop in my head a few faces do come into sharp focus...the ones who form the inner sanctum of our production...the ones who answered the call when the struggle seemed too much or when the voices of a few malcontents and naysayers tried to throw us off course...the ones who were there whenever I needed a lift and the encouragement to keep moving forward no matter what: Linda - Sean - Ralph - Marc - Ryan - Brett - John - Mandy...and Wendy.
The Guiding Light through it all has been Wendy Williams. First as an off-the-set advisor to me over the months, now as our Executive Producer and partner in the Beautiful Noise Trilogy - it was Wendy's decision to come on board in an official "hands-on" capacity that provided the rocket fuel we needed to position us to professionally work the international film festival circuit and at some point acquire Distribution. No matter how things end up, we'll all look back on the day Wendy signed on to the BN Team as the Turning Point for all things Beautiful Noise...now and yet to come.
Our 6th and final Sold Out SFF screening happens at 2 pm today. It's been a helluva ride so far...but the cool thing is...we're just getting started...and there's so much more good stuff coming up for us.
ST
Reflecting on everything in this quiet Sunday morning hour...trying to sort out the emotions and the next steps...gotta get to my walk on the beach and clear my head...
It's surreal. I can't stop replaying in my mind the flashes of film festival audience reactions to the movie...the laughs, the tears, the overwhelming applause at the end of each Sold Out screening. Then the scene changes to the blur of the Rush Line and demand for tickets, the positive reviews from the critics, the people coming up to me making appointments to invest in Beautiful Noise and the coming prequel and sequel...the clamor to buy the Soundtrack CD after each screening, watching the cast take their bows at the premiere and signing autographs, all the Red Carpet interviews, making the rounds at the SFF events with Danielle and realizing the impact the film will have on her and her co-stars...
...and then there's the flashbacks of the unsung heroes of Beautiful Noise...the small Team of people who stayed loyal and hung in with me through thick and thin...who helped me overcome every hurdle to get us to this place and time. From the intern production assistants to the staff at Riverview H.S.; from the legion of Suncoast sponsors to the family and friends who stepped up to kick-start the process; from the musicians and engineers who helped me create a hit soundtrack album to the Sarasota Film Commission staff who kept us pointed in the right direction - to the Cast members who had to keep juggling their lives and schedules due to changing production dates...it's just mind boggling what it took to get BN made and showcased.
Through that blur of scenes playing on an endless loop in my head a few faces do come into sharp focus...the ones who form the inner sanctum of our production...the ones who answered the call when the struggle seemed too much or when the voices of a few malcontents and naysayers tried to throw us off course...the ones who were there whenever I needed a lift and the encouragement to keep moving forward no matter what: Linda - Sean - Ralph - Marc - Ryan - Brett - John - Mandy...and Wendy.
The Guiding Light through it all has been Wendy Williams. First as an off-the-set advisor to me over the months, now as our Executive Producer and partner in the Beautiful Noise Trilogy - it was Wendy's decision to come on board in an official "hands-on" capacity that provided the rocket fuel we needed to position us to professionally work the international film festival circuit and at some point acquire Distribution. No matter how things end up, we'll all look back on the day Wendy signed on to the BN Team as the Turning Point for all things Beautiful Noise...now and yet to come.
Our 6th and final Sold Out SFF screening happens at 2 pm today. It's been a helluva ride so far...but the cool thing is...we're just getting started...and there's so much more good stuff coming up for us.
ST
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Danielle - "Where It Began..."
"Where it began...I can't begin to knowin'...but then I know it's growing strong. Was in the spring...then spring became the summer...who'd a believed you'd come along..." - ND
As I enter the final 2 days of an incredible run of Sold Out screenings of my first feature film, I already know I'll take away a ton of great memories from the World Premiere of Beautiful Noise at the Sarasota Film Festival - but none more vivid than watching Danielle White's face light up countless times this week at all the SFF functions we attended when complete strangers greeted us and praised our movie. I could gush about our entire ensemble cast ad nauseum, but at the end of the day, given all the great performances and original songs and beautiful shotmaking by our production team, the movie is carried on the shoulders of a young talent from the Suncoast who heads back to southern California in a few hours with the knowledge that she's been embraced by her hometown in an even more spectacular way than she was when she won the spinoff "American Idol" competition - "American Juniors" back when she was 11 years old. All of 19 now - Danielle's starmaking turn as "Dez" in BN is the talk of the film festival...as evidenced by the constant parade of wellwishers encountered everywhere we went this week to promote the film.
"Warm...touching warm...reaching out...touching me...touching you..."
Danielle was the first casting decision I made...and the best, which is saying something considering the sterling performances turned in by Jay, Kimber and the rest of the troupe. At that first meeting with her at Mattison's in downtown Sarasota there was no question in my mind that I had found my lead actor. It was the first of a countless number of fortunate breaks I had crafting this film. Danielle is an 'old soul' and, despite her youth, she displayed a level of artistry, professionalism and passion for our Musical-Drama that you'd expect from a far more experienced actor. We clicked on the set almost immediately with regard to how we both thought her character should react in any given sequence...and that freed me up to spend more time working with her co-stars to capture the essence of their respective characters. In the final analysis, we were all going to sink or swim on Danielle's portrayal of the hippy-dippy Bohemian songstress that leads the audience on a journey that touches every aspect of the primary themes of Beautiful Noise - Love, Hope, and ultimately the timeless Story of Rise, Fall & Redemption.
I knew from the moment we began principal photography that I had lucked out by following my gut instincts and casting the relative unknown in the pivotal lead role...and my daring selection of Danielle was reaffirmed when I saw the smiles on the faces of these SFF audiences when Danielle takes the film by storm belting out Kimbers' Easy in the opening act...and then later on when 'Dez' brings an entire theatre to tears in a sequence that will make Hollywood stand up and take notice of the dawning of yet another breakout indie film star performance.
"Sweet Caroline...good times never seemed so good..."
Like Jay and Kimber, who took their well-deserved bows last Saturday night at our Premiere, Danielle will be sorely missed at the final 2 BN screenings today and Sunday. Soon we'll learn if our film wins the coveted Audience Award at the film festival...but that prestigious honor pales in comparison to the prize already won - Danielle has committed to work closely with me and the BN Team to produce
the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel later this year and reprise her role as "Dez".
Danielle is a rare talent. She knows how good she is, yet is humble to a fault. She's the lead Star in the production, but always took time to help the crew breakdown and carry equipment at the end of the shooting day. She gave everything she had on every take and readily shared her knowledge and acting insights with her co-stars. She put off college and arranged her life around the starts and stops of the hectic production schedule that drove me and others crazy. For all this I'm forever grateful. But the real gift she offers to audiences is the one that only truly great actors can advance - she makes you really care about what happens to her character. And as for me, I can best express the impact she's had by simply stating that working with Danielle makes me want to be a better Writer & Director.
I can't wait to see the career of Danielle White continue to blossom...and for at least the rest of this year, we'll all have a front row seat watching this superstar-in-the-making work her magic in a role that she was born to play.
ST
As I enter the final 2 days of an incredible run of Sold Out screenings of my first feature film, I already know I'll take away a ton of great memories from the World Premiere of Beautiful Noise at the Sarasota Film Festival - but none more vivid than watching Danielle White's face light up countless times this week at all the SFF functions we attended when complete strangers greeted us and praised our movie. I could gush about our entire ensemble cast ad nauseum, but at the end of the day, given all the great performances and original songs and beautiful shotmaking by our production team, the movie is carried on the shoulders of a young talent from the Suncoast who heads back to southern California in a few hours with the knowledge that she's been embraced by her hometown in an even more spectacular way than she was when she won the spinoff "American Idol" competition - "American Juniors" back when she was 11 years old. All of 19 now - Danielle's starmaking turn as "Dez" in BN is the talk of the film festival...as evidenced by the constant parade of wellwishers encountered everywhere we went this week to promote the film.
"Warm...touching warm...reaching out...touching me...touching you..."
Danielle was the first casting decision I made...and the best, which is saying something considering the sterling performances turned in by Jay, Kimber and the rest of the troupe. At that first meeting with her at Mattison's in downtown Sarasota there was no question in my mind that I had found my lead actor. It was the first of a countless number of fortunate breaks I had crafting this film. Danielle is an 'old soul' and, despite her youth, she displayed a level of artistry, professionalism and passion for our Musical-Drama that you'd expect from a far more experienced actor. We clicked on the set almost immediately with regard to how we both thought her character should react in any given sequence...and that freed me up to spend more time working with her co-stars to capture the essence of their respective characters. In the final analysis, we were all going to sink or swim on Danielle's portrayal of the hippy-dippy Bohemian songstress that leads the audience on a journey that touches every aspect of the primary themes of Beautiful Noise - Love, Hope, and ultimately the timeless Story of Rise, Fall & Redemption.
I knew from the moment we began principal photography that I had lucked out by following my gut instincts and casting the relative unknown in the pivotal lead role...and my daring selection of Danielle was reaffirmed when I saw the smiles on the faces of these SFF audiences when Danielle takes the film by storm belting out Kimbers' Easy in the opening act...and then later on when 'Dez' brings an entire theatre to tears in a sequence that will make Hollywood stand up and take notice of the dawning of yet another breakout indie film star performance.
"Sweet Caroline...good times never seemed so good..."
Like Jay and Kimber, who took their well-deserved bows last Saturday night at our Premiere, Danielle will be sorely missed at the final 2 BN screenings today and Sunday. Soon we'll learn if our film wins the coveted Audience Award at the film festival...but that prestigious honor pales in comparison to the prize already won - Danielle has committed to work closely with me and the BN Team to produce
the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel later this year and reprise her role as "Dez".
Danielle is a rare talent. She knows how good she is, yet is humble to a fault. She's the lead Star in the production, but always took time to help the crew breakdown and carry equipment at the end of the shooting day. She gave everything she had on every take and readily shared her knowledge and acting insights with her co-stars. She put off college and arranged her life around the starts and stops of the hectic production schedule that drove me and others crazy. For all this I'm forever grateful. But the real gift she offers to audiences is the one that only truly great actors can advance - she makes you really care about what happens to her character. And as for me, I can best express the impact she's had by simply stating that working with Danielle makes me want to be a better Writer & Director.
I can't wait to see the career of Danielle White continue to blossom...and for at least the rest of this year, we'll all have a front row seat watching this superstar-in-the-making work her magic in a role that she was born to play.
ST
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Beautiful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Something really cool is happening with our Beautiful Noise Movie Soundtrack Album. It's not only that nearly 1 in every 4 people who see the movie are buying it on the spot after each Sold Out Sarasota Film Festival screening, but most are going out of their way to tell us either (a) we're selling it too cheap at only 10 bucks for the 18 song album; or (b) they are listening to it constantly as the lyrics and melodies take them right back to their emotionally charged BN theatre experience. The Soundtrack has caught on in a big way...and I can't wait to release it globally next week via our Online Store at http://www.beautifulnoisethemovie.com/! Jay, Danielle, Kimber & Chris deliver powerful performances. It's the best film soundtrack of original songs since ONCE. With so many hit songs on the album, I'll be shocked if one of our BN songwriters isn't nominated for a Best Original Song come Awards Season next year.
ST
ST
The Glimmer Twins & Gwen... and a Smash Hit Soundtrack Album
Had a great time tonight with Danielle, her mother Jeannie and sidekick Gwen - as we took in a Sarasota Film Festival press/cocktail party event at the SRQ Yacht Club. There I was with 3 drop-dead beautiful women playing the role of Film Producer. Danielle's mom looks like her 19 year old daughter and naturally passes as her sister; and Gwen looks like a Hollywood starlet...so yeah...I played 'Cool Hand Luke' tonight as we breezed through the gathering and posed for the paparazzi. All of us were taken with the number of people who went out of their way to say hello and tell us how much they loved Beautiful Noise. It happened all night long. There's no doubt about it...we have a sleeper hit on our hands backed up by a Soundtrack Album that will sooner or later become a huge seller in its own right...
Investors are jumping on the BN bandwagon this week and we're off to a great start in raising the marketing budget we need to take the movie 'round the world on the international film festival circuit.
The big news of the day was finding out we are under strong consideration to showcase at the Galway, Ireland International Film Festival in July. How great would that be to make our European Premiere at that fantastic festival?
The Sarasota Film Festival is a blast. Everyone on the Suncoast should support this terrific event. I plan to enter at least one feature film a year in the SFF from now on...
ST
Investors are jumping on the BN bandwagon this week and we're off to a great start in raising the marketing budget we need to take the movie 'round the world on the international film festival circuit.
The big news of the day was finding out we are under strong consideration to showcase at the Galway, Ireland International Film Festival in July. How great would that be to make our European Premiere at that fantastic festival?
The Sarasota Film Festival is a blast. Everyone on the Suncoast should support this terrific event. I plan to enter at least one feature film a year in the SFF from now on...
ST
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A Big Night
The 4th straight Sold Out screening of Beautiful Noise at the Sarasota Film Festival was a blast. The audience had a great vibe from the moment they walked in to the theatre. You could just feel their anticipation. For the first time since our opening night last Saturday I was able to relax and just watch my movie as a member of the audience. They laughed, they cried, and they were riveted right from the first song. They asked the most questions at the Q&A after the movie and they also bought the most copies of the Soundtrack CD!
Can't wait for Saturdays' 6 pm show and the finale happening Sunday at 2 pm. I have a feeling that the positive wave that just keeps building for Beautiful Noise will reach a high crest point during that last weekend of the film festival that may dwarf the warm embrace we've received so far. Bring it on!
ST
Can't wait for Saturdays' 6 pm show and the finale happening Sunday at 2 pm. I have a feeling that the positive wave that just keeps building for Beautiful Noise will reach a high crest point during that last weekend of the film festival that may dwarf the warm embrace we've received so far. Bring it on!
ST
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Raising Dough & Rockin' the Gator Club
This is an extremely important week for us on many levels, but chief among them is the opportunity to raise the $'s we need to showcase Beautiful Noise at film festivals 'round the world in a non-stop effort to secure Distribution. I made a conscious decision early on in the process to wait until after we made the film and presented it for the first time at the Sarasota Film Festival before I started to ask for the financial support required to take things to the next level. It was a huge gamble 'cause if the movie sucked we'd have been dead in the water. Thankfully, the tremendous response from audiences in the first 3 Sold Out screenings and the rising number of Soundtrack Album CD's being sold at the SFF has me feeling pretty damn good this morning. Not smug, mind you...and not content either. It's just a knowing that comes from watching the faces in the crowd as the reaction to Beautiful Noise vibrates throughout the theatre. The general consensus is that we have a 'sleeper' hit musical-drama & soundtrack on our hands that moves people emotionally. What more can I ask for? How about lots of checks from lots of investors who wanna see this Sarasota motion picture production go global! Thankfully, that's already starting to happen...
The Monday night crowd skewed a bit older demographically. It was a different kind of energy in the room...a less boistrous group than Saturdays' premiere gathering and yet one that you could really tell was locked in to the Story. They laughed at the right places and you could here the sniffles when the Story's drama unfolded. And the audience questions afterwards were focused on how I came to find such an incredible no-name Cast and what's the prequel and sequel going to be about? All in all it was another great night at the SFF.
After the screening a group of us headed down Main Street to the legendary Gator Club where old pal Scott Curts was rockin' the joint. Kimber jumped on stage and delivered a blistering set of covers and original songs...Danielle sang "Easy" from the film as well as a few other songs...and I got a chance to finally chill out for a coupla hours and reflect on the last few days. Our executive producer Wendy Williams is back in Vancouver producing the upcoming reboot of the "Planet of the Apes" franchise titled "Ceasar - Rise of the Apes", which is a multi-million dollar SFX-laden film starring James Franco, but I know she's also working hard to put Beautiful Noise in front of the studio execs she's working with. It was nice to know that while I shut the engines down to cool my jets, BN is being pitched to some heavy-hitter Hollywood decision makers.
The newspaper broke the news today about the next two BN movies - the prequel Serenade & the sequel Heartlight - that I'm filming back-to-back later this year. It's quite a rush to know that while I'm hitting the international film festival circuit with the current movie that pre-production is set to commence in just a few months on the next 2 films in the BN Franchise. Meanwhile, I'm meeting with people in town to develop the Beautiful Noise stage musical and TV pilot.
It's been a long, hard climb...but this is no time to take a breather. Beautiful Noise is the hottest film and story at the Sarasota Film Festival and the momentum we've created is gonna be leveraged to the hilt.
Timing is everything. And our time has come.
ST
The Monday night crowd skewed a bit older demographically. It was a different kind of energy in the room...a less boistrous group than Saturdays' premiere gathering and yet one that you could really tell was locked in to the Story. They laughed at the right places and you could here the sniffles when the Story's drama unfolded. And the audience questions afterwards were focused on how I came to find such an incredible no-name Cast and what's the prequel and sequel going to be about? All in all it was another great night at the SFF.
After the screening a group of us headed down Main Street to the legendary Gator Club where old pal Scott Curts was rockin' the joint. Kimber jumped on stage and delivered a blistering set of covers and original songs...Danielle sang "Easy" from the film as well as a few other songs...and I got a chance to finally chill out for a coupla hours and reflect on the last few days. Our executive producer Wendy Williams is back in Vancouver producing the upcoming reboot of the "Planet of the Apes" franchise titled "Ceasar - Rise of the Apes", which is a multi-million dollar SFX-laden film starring James Franco, but I know she's also working hard to put Beautiful Noise in front of the studio execs she's working with. It was nice to know that while I shut the engines down to cool my jets, BN is being pitched to some heavy-hitter Hollywood decision makers.
The newspaper broke the news today about the next two BN movies - the prequel Serenade & the sequel Heartlight - that I'm filming back-to-back later this year. It's quite a rush to know that while I'm hitting the international film festival circuit with the current movie that pre-production is set to commence in just a few months on the next 2 films in the BN Franchise. Meanwhile, I'm meeting with people in town to develop the Beautiful Noise stage musical and TV pilot.
It's been a long, hard climb...but this is no time to take a breather. Beautiful Noise is the hottest film and story at the Sarasota Film Festival and the momentum we've created is gonna be leveraged to the hilt.
Timing is everything. And our time has come.
ST
Sunday, April 10, 2011
World Premiere Flashbacks
I can't remember any time in my life that I skipped sleeping for 48 hours...but I guess last nights' World Premiere of my first feature film qualified as a fairly good reason to blow past bedtime and keep working through all the emotions the epic moment drew out of me:
It's all a blur tonight, but the highlights from yesterday include:
- Watching the 7:00 pm and the 9:15 audiences actually applaud after several songs were performed in the film...especially on Doug Frasure's sure-fire hit ballad "Lonely Hearts", the duet sung by Jay & Danielle at the midpoint of the film.
- Tears in peoples eyes at a crucial moment in the film.
- Standing ovations.
- Soundtrack CD's and Beautiful Noise t-shirts and posters selling like crazy.
- The look on Danielles', Kimbers' and Jays' faces when I introduced them during the Q+A and brought them down in front with me and Wendy right after the film ended.
- The insanity of watching the Hollywood 20's projector bulbs blowing out not once, not twice, but three times during the 9:15 show. But everyone stayed and patiently waited for the theatre people to fix the technical problems....thanks to Wendy's incredible impromptu conversations with the crowd while I was out pacing the hallways 'till they fixed the friggin projector!
- The Investor Reception earlier in the evening where several people confirmed they want to meet with us asap to further discuss their financial support of our Beautiful Noise Trilogy.
- The euphoric feeling walking the block to our premiere party after both sold out shows let out.
- Watching family and close friends who flew in from out of town to be with me on this momentous occasion just absolutely get caught up with emotion for the film and for me...as they know how much blood, sweat and tears has gone into Beautiful Noise.
- Watching Danielle, Kimber & Jay perform at the party and meeting hundreds of people who flat out loved the movie.
- Meeting with Tony Tyler's Band for breakfast at 3 am to discuss their participation in our upcoming Beautiful Noise Live! Tour to Europe and the USA.
- Conversing with Wendy about the incredible evening we just experienced; our distribution acquisition strategy and the opportunity she and I have by melding her 20+ year powerhouse Hollywood experience and credentials with my abilities to write, produce and direct high quality, low budget feature films...starting with BN 2 + 3 that we're filming back-to-back later this year here in Sarasota.
It's a really strange feeling realizing that there's nothing more for me to do with our Beautiful Noise film other than to hit the film festival circuit hard and sell it...which is something I know how to do very well...
Really looking forward to Monday nights' Sold Out screening and all the other Sarasota Film Festival events Danielle and I will be attending this coming week. I could not have asked for a better start to the marketing of our film.
Beautiful Noise has been unleashed! And so far there's nothing but rave reviews coming in from all quarters.
ST
It's all a blur tonight, but the highlights from yesterday include:
- Watching the 7:00 pm and the 9:15 audiences actually applaud after several songs were performed in the film...especially on Doug Frasure's sure-fire hit ballad "Lonely Hearts", the duet sung by Jay & Danielle at the midpoint of the film.
- Tears in peoples eyes at a crucial moment in the film.
- Standing ovations.
- Soundtrack CD's and Beautiful Noise t-shirts and posters selling like crazy.
- The look on Danielles', Kimbers' and Jays' faces when I introduced them during the Q+A and brought them down in front with me and Wendy right after the film ended.
- The insanity of watching the Hollywood 20's projector bulbs blowing out not once, not twice, but three times during the 9:15 show. But everyone stayed and patiently waited for the theatre people to fix the technical problems....thanks to Wendy's incredible impromptu conversations with the crowd while I was out pacing the hallways 'till they fixed the friggin projector!
- The Investor Reception earlier in the evening where several people confirmed they want to meet with us asap to further discuss their financial support of our Beautiful Noise Trilogy.
- The euphoric feeling walking the block to our premiere party after both sold out shows let out.
- Watching family and close friends who flew in from out of town to be with me on this momentous occasion just absolutely get caught up with emotion for the film and for me...as they know how much blood, sweat and tears has gone into Beautiful Noise.
- Watching Danielle, Kimber & Jay perform at the party and meeting hundreds of people who flat out loved the movie.
- Meeting with Tony Tyler's Band for breakfast at 3 am to discuss their participation in our upcoming Beautiful Noise Live! Tour to Europe and the USA.
- Conversing with Wendy about the incredible evening we just experienced; our distribution acquisition strategy and the opportunity she and I have by melding her 20+ year powerhouse Hollywood experience and credentials with my abilities to write, produce and direct high quality, low budget feature films...starting with BN 2 + 3 that we're filming back-to-back later this year here in Sarasota.
It's a really strange feeling realizing that there's nothing more for me to do with our Beautiful Noise film other than to hit the film festival circuit hard and sell it...which is something I know how to do very well...
Really looking forward to Monday nights' Sold Out screening and all the other Sarasota Film Festival events Danielle and I will be attending this coming week. I could not have asked for a better start to the marketing of our film.
Beautiful Noise has been unleashed! And so far there's nothing but rave reviews coming in from all quarters.
ST
Standing Ovations
It's 6:30 am Sunday morning and I haven't made it to bed yet.
The 7:00 pm screening was all I hoped it would be. Wonderful response from the capacity crowd. Tears, cheers and a standing ovation at the end.
The 9:15 pm show was going great until the theatre started having a series of technical glitches. Wendy did a magnificent job chatting with the crowd while I paced the hallways waiting for the projector bulb to be replaced. Still, the audience loved the film.
The premiere party was a blast with Tony Tylers' Band rocking the house...and Kimber, Jay & Danielle all took to the stage before we shut the festivities down at 2 am.
All 6 BN screenings are Sold Out at the Sarasota Film Festival.
Our movie is a smash hit here in our hometown! Can't wait to take it on the road...
More details on our World Premiere later today.
ST
The 7:00 pm screening was all I hoped it would be. Wonderful response from the capacity crowd. Tears, cheers and a standing ovation at the end.
The 9:15 pm show was going great until the theatre started having a series of technical glitches. Wendy did a magnificent job chatting with the crowd while I paced the hallways waiting for the projector bulb to be replaced. Still, the audience loved the film.
The premiere party was a blast with Tony Tylers' Band rocking the house...and Kimber, Jay & Danielle all took to the stage before we shut the festivities down at 2 am.
All 6 BN screenings are Sold Out at the Sarasota Film Festival.
Our movie is a smash hit here in our hometown! Can't wait to take it on the road...
More details on our World Premiere later today.
ST
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Yesterday & Today
Friday night at 6:00 pm I picked up Jay at his hotel and drove over to the Sarasota Opera House to meet Danielle & our exec producer Wendy Williams for the Opening Night Red Carpet Event for the Sarasota Film Festival. As we entered the venue all the news organizations stopped us, took pics and interviewed us about our movie. It was a bit surreal but a lot of fun. After the documentary about the behind the scenes action at the NY Times we mingled with the 1000+ people at the reception, got our face time in...then bolted for Mattison's Grille downtown for a bite. Wendy's insider stories of her legendary Hollywood career kept us mesmerized all night. It was fun to be with the 3 of them the night before our premiere. It took my mind off what Saturday will bring...
Saturday morning: I can't believe this day has finally come. A reporter asked me last night how I felt about everything. My first response was about how thrilled I am that it appears all 6 screenings are Sold Out for Beautiful Noise (there may be a handful of tix still available for Tuesday night); and my second response was that there was absolutely nothing more I can do to affect the outcome. The movie is screening tonight, the premiere party is set, everyone has their tix, friends and family and cast & crew are all ready to go - so I'm in that uneasy position, at least for me, where I may as well just buckle the seat belt tight and go with the flow, 'cause this rollercoater is off and running and I have no way to steer it anymore. It's like Butch & Sundance jumping off that cliff and Sundance yelling "Ohhhhhhhh Shiiiiiiit!!!!!" all the way down. They survived the leap and splashed into the raging waters and were basically helpless as the rapids pulled them along down the river. Get the picture? I'm Sundance. I'm better when I move...but now it's all out of my control.
I'm meeting Jay & Danielle at the film festival at 2:00 pm for a slew of press interviews. Then it's on to our 5:00 pm VIP cocktail reception to meet with friends and potential investors...then at 7:00 pm...the first-ever screening of our Musical-Drama takes place...followed by a Q+A with the audience...then the 9:15 screening...then another Q&A...then I get to walk a block over to our premiere party and finally relax. I'm looking forward to a few glasses of red and celebrating with the Cast & Crew and about 500 of our closest family, friends and fans of Beautiful Noise.
But right now...I gotta take a walk on the beach and sort it all out in my head.
It's all moving pretty fast now.
Everything changes tonight.
ST
Saturday morning: I can't believe this day has finally come. A reporter asked me last night how I felt about everything. My first response was about how thrilled I am that it appears all 6 screenings are Sold Out for Beautiful Noise (there may be a handful of tix still available for Tuesday night); and my second response was that there was absolutely nothing more I can do to affect the outcome. The movie is screening tonight, the premiere party is set, everyone has their tix, friends and family and cast & crew are all ready to go - so I'm in that uneasy position, at least for me, where I may as well just buckle the seat belt tight and go with the flow, 'cause this rollercoater is off and running and I have no way to steer it anymore. It's like Butch & Sundance jumping off that cliff and Sundance yelling "Ohhhhhhhh Shiiiiiiit!!!!!" all the way down. They survived the leap and splashed into the raging waters and were basically helpless as the rapids pulled them along down the river. Get the picture? I'm Sundance. I'm better when I move...but now it's all out of my control.
I'm meeting Jay & Danielle at the film festival at 2:00 pm for a slew of press interviews. Then it's on to our 5:00 pm VIP cocktail reception to meet with friends and potential investors...then at 7:00 pm...the first-ever screening of our Musical-Drama takes place...followed by a Q+A with the audience...then the 9:15 screening...then another Q&A...then I get to walk a block over to our premiere party and finally relax. I'm looking forward to a few glasses of red and celebrating with the Cast & Crew and about 500 of our closest family, friends and fans of Beautiful Noise.
But right now...I gotta take a walk on the beach and sort it all out in my head.
It's all moving pretty fast now.
Everything changes tonight.
ST
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Party Planning & The Look of Love
Spent the entire day working with my Team on the Premiere Party plan for Saturday night. We're expecting 500 + for the Big Bash after our 2 sold out Saturday shows. Earlier in the day its an exclusive invitation-only reception for investors. Saturday is going to be epic...
Tomorrow I gotta get my tan together and walk Siesta Key Beach. My last day of solitude before the madness and fun of the Sarasota Film Festival takes over my Life for those 10 days. But in spite of the wonderful record-setting performance of the film at the festival that anyone would be right to gloat about, all I'm thinking about is looking deep into the eyes of Danielle, Jay & Kimber when the lights first come up after the end of the first screening. I've been encouraging them all along and telling them for months that what we accomplished on screen is going to move people emotionally...and all along they've looked at me with a longing to believe me...but not willing to do so for fear of the possible disappointment. Linda knew all along I could pull it off because she knows me so well and saw my dedication and that of my closest BN Teammates...but it's my stars I'm going to look for first in that huge crowd Saturday night. I'm just dying to see the expressions of 'Dez', 'Noah' & 'Candy' when the movie ends and the audience responds.
First off I'll be scanning the theatre for Danielle. I just wanna see her incredible smile and her face light up as only a young performer just starting out can when she realizes that the initial roar of approval is all for her in her first starring role. Danielle is a force to be reckoned with and I just can't wait to film her in the prequel and sequel to Beautiful Noise later this year. The dimension she'll bring to the role she created will be off the hook as she now has a real bead on what 'Dez' is all about and what my Storytelling themes for the Trilogy are all about. She gets it like nobody else and her coming on board to help me cast and select songs for the next 2 soundtracks will be invaluable. She is a stunningly beautiful and talented actress/singer who is going to become a superstar the moment she comes to grips with her talent and decides to unleash it completely and confidently. When she decides on something she goes all out and I'm grateful she believes in me as a writer and director and as a friend. I hope to cast her in a variety of challenging roles in the years to come and will always revel in the fact that I was there when she got her start...
I also wanna see Jay's expression when he realizes that after a 20 year career at the top as the worlds' #1 Neil Diamond performer - he now has a 2nd Act as a screen actor that will take his career into new directions. I'm not certain why or how the stars lined up for the both of us working together on this difficult indie film...but we locked in quickly that first week on the set knowing we had the potential of capturing lightning in a bottle. Jay didn't play 'Neil Diamond' in the movie, tempting as it must have been. It took him 3 days to lock into his character, but the moment he did the film changed. Playing off Danielle's beautifully convincing performance, Jay captured the essence of the bitter has-been rock icon from the 60's and played it to the hilt. And when it came time for him to sing...well, just close your eyes folks and listen to what sounds like all-new Neil Diamond hit songs. What a lethal combo of talent for a director like me to work with. I'm looking forward to helping guide Jay's movie and music career from here on in. The guy is a powerful piece of Talent, whose best days as a performer are ahead of him.
And then I wanna see Kimber's face, which might be the one that beams the most as she finally gets her due as the prolific songwriter she is. Kimber is living the life of her character...working the club scene relentlessly and trying so damn hard to break out and break through. Her incredible songs form the backbone of Beautiful Noise musically...and there's no way she'll be overlooked after this film plays around the world. We had a difficult time at first communicating for reasons that revolved around my own fears of how much to push her as an actress and how much to lay back and just let her do what she does best...perform her own songs on a stage. But she threw herself into her role even though she had never acted before a day in her life. You'd never know it after you see her work in Beautiful Noise. This raging beauty gave Jay all he could handle in their crucial scenes and she won him and the rest of us over that first day on the set with her dedication, professionalism and sheer determination to succeed. Kimber wants this movie to be the breakout vehicle for her...and I'm committed to doing everything in my power to expose this powerful songwriter and budding actress to a worldwide audience.
In the end I did what every Director I've ever read about does at one point or another...I looked deep into their eyes to find their spark and motivation and simply fell in love with my Stars. I have come to know them as well as my closest lifelong friends and I would do anything for them. I trust them and believe in their talent and in them personally. They are truly great Spirits who care about people and in their craft. I've learned a lot from them...and I think I've taught the three of them that sheer willpower and determination and total belief in oneself can make miracles happen. The miracle that is Beautiful Noise is about to be screened and judged by the masses. Either way it goes, with the critics' comments and box office reports still out there somewhere in the future, I know that the condition of my life and career has been immeasurably improved simply by having the privilege to work with Danielle, Jay & Kimber.
ST
Tomorrow I gotta get my tan together and walk Siesta Key Beach. My last day of solitude before the madness and fun of the Sarasota Film Festival takes over my Life for those 10 days. But in spite of the wonderful record-setting performance of the film at the festival that anyone would be right to gloat about, all I'm thinking about is looking deep into the eyes of Danielle, Jay & Kimber when the lights first come up after the end of the first screening. I've been encouraging them all along and telling them for months that what we accomplished on screen is going to move people emotionally...and all along they've looked at me with a longing to believe me...but not willing to do so for fear of the possible disappointment. Linda knew all along I could pull it off because she knows me so well and saw my dedication and that of my closest BN Teammates...but it's my stars I'm going to look for first in that huge crowd Saturday night. I'm just dying to see the expressions of 'Dez', 'Noah' & 'Candy' when the movie ends and the audience responds.
First off I'll be scanning the theatre for Danielle. I just wanna see her incredible smile and her face light up as only a young performer just starting out can when she realizes that the initial roar of approval is all for her in her first starring role. Danielle is a force to be reckoned with and I just can't wait to film her in the prequel and sequel to Beautiful Noise later this year. The dimension she'll bring to the role she created will be off the hook as she now has a real bead on what 'Dez' is all about and what my Storytelling themes for the Trilogy are all about. She gets it like nobody else and her coming on board to help me cast and select songs for the next 2 soundtracks will be invaluable. She is a stunningly beautiful and talented actress/singer who is going to become a superstar the moment she comes to grips with her talent and decides to unleash it completely and confidently. When she decides on something she goes all out and I'm grateful she believes in me as a writer and director and as a friend. I hope to cast her in a variety of challenging roles in the years to come and will always revel in the fact that I was there when she got her start...
I also wanna see Jay's expression when he realizes that after a 20 year career at the top as the worlds' #1 Neil Diamond performer - he now has a 2nd Act as a screen actor that will take his career into new directions. I'm not certain why or how the stars lined up for the both of us working together on this difficult indie film...but we locked in quickly that first week on the set knowing we had the potential of capturing lightning in a bottle. Jay didn't play 'Neil Diamond' in the movie, tempting as it must have been. It took him 3 days to lock into his character, but the moment he did the film changed. Playing off Danielle's beautifully convincing performance, Jay captured the essence of the bitter has-been rock icon from the 60's and played it to the hilt. And when it came time for him to sing...well, just close your eyes folks and listen to what sounds like all-new Neil Diamond hit songs. What a lethal combo of talent for a director like me to work with. I'm looking forward to helping guide Jay's movie and music career from here on in. The guy is a powerful piece of Talent, whose best days as a performer are ahead of him.
And then I wanna see Kimber's face, which might be the one that beams the most as she finally gets her due as the prolific songwriter she is. Kimber is living the life of her character...working the club scene relentlessly and trying so damn hard to break out and break through. Her incredible songs form the backbone of Beautiful Noise musically...and there's no way she'll be overlooked after this film plays around the world. We had a difficult time at first communicating for reasons that revolved around my own fears of how much to push her as an actress and how much to lay back and just let her do what she does best...perform her own songs on a stage. But she threw herself into her role even though she had never acted before a day in her life. You'd never know it after you see her work in Beautiful Noise. This raging beauty gave Jay all he could handle in their crucial scenes and she won him and the rest of us over that first day on the set with her dedication, professionalism and sheer determination to succeed. Kimber wants this movie to be the breakout vehicle for her...and I'm committed to doing everything in my power to expose this powerful songwriter and budding actress to a worldwide audience.
In the end I did what every Director I've ever read about does at one point or another...I looked deep into their eyes to find their spark and motivation and simply fell in love with my Stars. I have come to know them as well as my closest lifelong friends and I would do anything for them. I trust them and believe in their talent and in them personally. They are truly great Spirits who care about people and in their craft. I've learned a lot from them...and I think I've taught the three of them that sheer willpower and determination and total belief in oneself can make miracles happen. The miracle that is Beautiful Noise is about to be screened and judged by the masses. Either way it goes, with the critics' comments and box office reports still out there somewhere in the future, I know that the condition of my life and career has been immeasurably improved simply by having the privilege to work with Danielle, Jay & Kimber.
ST
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
A Momentous Day
Today I delivered the Final Cut of Beautiful Noise in an HD Cam format to the Sarasota Film Festival.
It was exactly like dropping off one of my kids to their first day of school. A mix of elation and fear.
It's out of my hands now. The BN Team and I gave it all we had.
The SFF reports that we've already sold out 4 of the 6 screenings they've scheduled...and the World Premiere doesn't happen for 4 more days. Looks like we'll sell out the entire run of shows. What a great start.
Come Saturday night about 8:40 pm, that first Sarasota audience will respond to our first ever screening.
At that moment I become a full-fledged independent filmmaker.
What a huge Smile that's gonna be...
It was exactly like dropping off one of my kids to their first day of school. A mix of elation and fear.
It's out of my hands now. The BN Team and I gave it all we had.
The SFF reports that we've already sold out 4 of the 6 screenings they've scheduled...and the World Premiere doesn't happen for 4 more days. Looks like we'll sell out the entire run of shows. What a great start.
Come Saturday night about 8:40 pm, that first Sarasota audience will respond to our first ever screening.
At that moment I become a full-fledged independent filmmaker.
What a huge Smile that's gonna be...
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Final Touch
It's official. I have driven my editor, Marc Alcorn, to the edge of madness with my last second tinkering on the film. Ah...but the young lad has learned a valuable lesson in the process. Marc is among the most talented editors I have ever worked with...maybe the best...but I have taught him something new...and it's that Patience is Genius.
Marc is a stickler to details and deadlines...and our final cut of the film was due in to the Sarasota Film Festival days ago...a fact that troubles Marc to no end. But I've been working closely with our Executive Producer, Wendy Williams, (who is on location in Vancouver on a huge $200 million dollar film she's steering to completion) and with our Colorist, Courtney Penna, to make certain that the visual tone and vibrancy of Beautiful Noise matches what I've had in mind all these months. And we've accomplished that feat. But tonight, just when Marc thought he was going to be able to button things up and ship the film off to be transferred to HD Cam for the film festival screenings, I threw in one simple 5 second scene that to me is absolutely crucial. The single line that Kimbers' character 'Candy' delivers to Jay's character 'Noah' during the climactic 3rd Act sets up the entire ending of the film. It was 2:00 am when I informed Marc that something was missing in that particular sequence...so you can imagine the look on his face after he'd been slaving away double-checking every frame all day long. If looks could kill...After a few anxious moments discussing the situation he went back to an early edit of the film we did months ago and showed me everything that had been cut from what we affectionately call "Candy's explosion" scene. And there, amid the footage that had been left behind, I found the one line I needed that sets up the punch line of the scene. Now we have the movie I've always envisioned firmly in hand.
I know a lot of capable editors who would have thrown up their hands and walked away weeks ago due to my endless search for different scenes or small portions of scenes that I thought could help the Storytelling aspects of our movie. I have been relentless to seek and use every angle, every shot, every syllable possible to create just the right moment in every frame of Beautiful Noise. I know exactly what I want to convey and I'm not going to compromise on that vision. No matter what. So yeah...it takes a patient person to hang in with me for 4 months of post production while I reshaped what we shot into the best film I could possibly present.
Marc hung in there with me tonight and his patience paid off...as he instantly recognized we had indeed uncovered a gem of a scene I wrote that had been totally forgotten. His patience with me is greatly appreciated because, in the end, when all is said and done...we produced a film we're both extremely proud of. So Marc will render the new scene tomorrow and Courtney will spend 20 seconds color correcting it...then our Mission is complete.
The Countdown to our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival this Saturday night continues. It's going to be an amazing week...
ST
Marc is a stickler to details and deadlines...and our final cut of the film was due in to the Sarasota Film Festival days ago...a fact that troubles Marc to no end. But I've been working closely with our Executive Producer, Wendy Williams, (who is on location in Vancouver on a huge $200 million dollar film she's steering to completion) and with our Colorist, Courtney Penna, to make certain that the visual tone and vibrancy of Beautiful Noise matches what I've had in mind all these months. And we've accomplished that feat. But tonight, just when Marc thought he was going to be able to button things up and ship the film off to be transferred to HD Cam for the film festival screenings, I threw in one simple 5 second scene that to me is absolutely crucial. The single line that Kimbers' character 'Candy' delivers to Jay's character 'Noah' during the climactic 3rd Act sets up the entire ending of the film. It was 2:00 am when I informed Marc that something was missing in that particular sequence...so you can imagine the look on his face after he'd been slaving away double-checking every frame all day long. If looks could kill...After a few anxious moments discussing the situation he went back to an early edit of the film we did months ago and showed me everything that had been cut from what we affectionately call "Candy's explosion" scene. And there, amid the footage that had been left behind, I found the one line I needed that sets up the punch line of the scene. Now we have the movie I've always envisioned firmly in hand.
I know a lot of capable editors who would have thrown up their hands and walked away weeks ago due to my endless search for different scenes or small portions of scenes that I thought could help the Storytelling aspects of our movie. I have been relentless to seek and use every angle, every shot, every syllable possible to create just the right moment in every frame of Beautiful Noise. I know exactly what I want to convey and I'm not going to compromise on that vision. No matter what. So yeah...it takes a patient person to hang in with me for 4 months of post production while I reshaped what we shot into the best film I could possibly present.
Marc hung in there with me tonight and his patience paid off...as he instantly recognized we had indeed uncovered a gem of a scene I wrote that had been totally forgotten. His patience with me is greatly appreciated because, in the end, when all is said and done...we produced a film we're both extremely proud of. So Marc will render the new scene tomorrow and Courtney will spend 20 seconds color correcting it...then our Mission is complete.
The Countdown to our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival this Saturday night continues. It's going to be an amazing week...
ST
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sarasota BN Feature Stories
It appears the growing 'buzz' is turning into a bit of a Roar! My sincere thanks for all the incredible coverage of Beautiful Noise by the Sarasota Herald Tribune:
http://www.ticketsarasota.com/2011-03-31/section/arts/beautiful-noises-makes-a-splash-at-sarasota-film-festival
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110402/ARTICLE/110409914/2416/NEWS
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110402/ARTICLE/110409919/2416/NEWS?Title=Sarasota-fest-fuels-visions-of-a-local-Hollywood-
ST
http://www.ticketsarasota.com/2011-03-31/section/arts/beautiful-noises-makes-a-splash-at-sarasota-film-festival
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110402/ARTICLE/110409914/2416/NEWS
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110402/ARTICLE/110409919/2416/NEWS?Title=Sarasota-fest-fuels-visions-of-a-local-Hollywood-
ST
Saturday, April 2, 2011
BN Concert musings
Our Beautiful Noise Live! Concert last night in Sarasota served as a great kickoff to the overall marketing plan for our film. We had a sizeable crowd that seemed to really enjoy the first half of the show that featured Chris McCarty & Danielle singing songs from the film...especially when Jay came out for the duet with Danielle on Lonely Hearts. It was a special moment and reminded me of Neil + Barbra singing You Don't Bring Me Flowers on the Grammy's years ago. I have absolutely no doubt that our version of BN cast member Doug Frasure's Lonely Hearts is going to catch on big. It's a killer song from the film.
Tony Tyler's Band, with an assist from Jay's drummer Bill Whitacre and BN Team members Dean Johanesen and Bud Buckley, were fantastic as well and brought the house down with Charlie Daniels' Devil Went Down To Georgia. Tony & Dani J were awesome - and both of them are being featured in our BN prequel shooting this summer/fall in Sarasota titled Serenade.
After intermission it was time for Jay to do his 'Neil' thing. I've seen Jay's show several times now and I have to say that I love the combination of his Diamond set list backed by the energy of this new Suncoast-based touring band I've put together to support our BN World Tour. They all did an incredible job for having only played together for the first time in concert at last nights' show. I assisted on a little rhythm guitar work on Cherry Cherry, then screwed up the intro a little on I'm A Believer...but hey - I think the gangs' gonna let me keep playing with the band. They know how to keep a smile on their Producers' face!
The only mistake I made was not having the common sense to book the concert the weekend AFTER the films' World Premiere, not the weekend before. The media spent the last two weeks promoting the movie instead of the concert, so my miscalculation probably kept us from a complete sell out. That said, the show was a smashing success and has launched Beautiful Noise in an exciting, upbeat way. I can't wait to to travel and showcase the movie and the concert with this great group of troubadours I've put together. We're gonna spread some Beautiful Noise everywhere we can in the coming months.
Now the Countdown to next Saturday night and our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival comes into full focus. We're already being contacted by Hollywood distribution agents...so this final week before Opening Night at the Hollywood 20 Theatres in downtown Sarasota promises to be both a hectic and memorable one.
ST
Tony Tyler's Band, with an assist from Jay's drummer Bill Whitacre and BN Team members Dean Johanesen and Bud Buckley, were fantastic as well and brought the house down with Charlie Daniels' Devil Went Down To Georgia. Tony & Dani J were awesome - and both of them are being featured in our BN prequel shooting this summer/fall in Sarasota titled Serenade.
After intermission it was time for Jay to do his 'Neil' thing. I've seen Jay's show several times now and I have to say that I love the combination of his Diamond set list backed by the energy of this new Suncoast-based touring band I've put together to support our BN World Tour. They all did an incredible job for having only played together for the first time in concert at last nights' show. I assisted on a little rhythm guitar work on Cherry Cherry, then screwed up the intro a little on I'm A Believer...but hey - I think the gangs' gonna let me keep playing with the band. They know how to keep a smile on their Producers' face!
The only mistake I made was not having the common sense to book the concert the weekend AFTER the films' World Premiere, not the weekend before. The media spent the last two weeks promoting the movie instead of the concert, so my miscalculation probably kept us from a complete sell out. That said, the show was a smashing success and has launched Beautiful Noise in an exciting, upbeat way. I can't wait to to travel and showcase the movie and the concert with this great group of troubadours I've put together. We're gonna spread some Beautiful Noise everywhere we can in the coming months.
Now the Countdown to next Saturday night and our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival comes into full focus. We're already being contacted by Hollywood distribution agents...so this final week before Opening Night at the Hollywood 20 Theatres in downtown Sarasota promises to be both a hectic and memorable one.
ST
Friday, April 1, 2011
"Beautiful Noise Live!" Concert tonight!
From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune's TICKET entertainment section, click on the link below:
http://www.ticketsarasota.com/2011-03-31/section/nightlife/beautiful-noise-preview-concert-this-weekend
Thanks Abby!
Our BN Live! Concert happens tonight at Riverview H.S. Performing Arts Center. Showtime is 8:00 pm. It's gonna be a "Holly Holy" night filled with Beautiful Noise! See you there.
ST
http://www.ticketsarasota.com/2011-03-31/section/nightlife/beautiful-noise-preview-concert-this-weekend
Thanks Abby!
Our BN Live! Concert happens tonight at Riverview H.S. Performing Arts Center. Showtime is 8:00 pm. It's gonna be a "Holly Holy" night filled with Beautiful Noise! See you there.
ST
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Media Coverage & Concert Rehearsals
Click on the link below for a feature story on Beautiful Noise from the Sarasota / Longboat Key Observer:
http://www.yourobserver.com/news/longboat-key/A-and-E/0330201111004/The-noisemaker
Thanks Heidi!
________________________
Jay flew in with his drummer, Bill Whitacre, last night to prep for Friday's Beautiful Noise Live! Concert in Sarasota. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Cosimos Too! then headed out to the legendary Five O'Clock Club to catch the Tony Tyler Band in action. Tony's band is backing Jay & Danielles' sets at tomorrow nights' concert at the Riverview H.S. Performing Arts Center...and they are set to rock the venue. Rehearsals happening this afternoon and all day tomorrow prior to the 8:00 pm show. Looks like a really good crowd will be on hand for the kickoff event of our Beautiful Noise marketing extravaganza. Really looking forward to Danielle, Chris McCarty, Dean Johanesen, Bud Buckley and the rest of the gang performing songs from the movie Live, followed by Jay's dynamic Neil Diamond show.
I could use a Diamond-fix Friday night. Everybody needs a little "Sweet Caroline" every now and then...
ST
http://www.yourobserver.com/news/longboat-key/A-and-E/0330201111004/The-noisemaker
Thanks Heidi!
________________________
Jay flew in with his drummer, Bill Whitacre, last night to prep for Friday's Beautiful Noise Live! Concert in Sarasota. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Cosimos Too! then headed out to the legendary Five O'Clock Club to catch the Tony Tyler Band in action. Tony's band is backing Jay & Danielles' sets at tomorrow nights' concert at the Riverview H.S. Performing Arts Center...and they are set to rock the venue. Rehearsals happening this afternoon and all day tomorrow prior to the 8:00 pm show. Looks like a really good crowd will be on hand for the kickoff event of our Beautiful Noise marketing extravaganza. Really looking forward to Danielle, Chris McCarty, Dean Johanesen, Bud Buckley and the rest of the gang performing songs from the movie Live, followed by Jay's dynamic Neil Diamond show.
I could use a Diamond-fix Friday night. Everybody needs a little "Sweet Caroline" every now and then...
ST
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Both Sides Now
Joni Mitchells' classic "Free Man In Paris" is a featured song in our Musical-Drama, but as the Countdown continues toward our April 9th World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival, Joni's hit "Both Sides Now" has been playing non-stop in my head. A friend asked me today how I felt as we near those Opening Night audiences and the Q&A sessions that follow each screening. I honestly haven't had time to dwell on any of that 'cause we're buttoning up post production and prepping for the big Beautiful Noise Live! Concert event in Sarasota this Friday night. But the question lingered all day and got me thinking about the magnitude of my first feature film being screened to over 1,500 people at a world-class film festival in a few days. As a result, Joni's lyrics from Both Sides Now ring out and set the reflective mood I'm in:
Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at Life that way...
I admit it. Among other things, I'm a hopeless romantic...but I don't apologize for that 'cause it fuels my writing and enabled me to pen Beautiful Noise in a way that helps me tell the Story I wanted to tell. I'm anxious to see how people respond to the film and I carry a heavy load knowing that the decisions I made making this movie affect the forward motion of the careers of my terrific Cast & Crew...and my own. But I do love the process and I am proud of what we've accomplished - and this dream to create a full-blown indie production company here in Sarasota has become a reality. Now we're about to be judged, and...
Now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day
Making this movie is the hardest thing I've ever done. I mean, it's just been unbelievable what it took to see this through to this point...and as noted in the previous blog post, it's just the end of the beginning. Now the real heavy lifting takes place trying to raise the needed capital to promote our film and Sarasota indie filmmaking around the world. But I'm a believer. I was relentless in my pursuit of the goal to make a high quality, low budget film here on the Suncoast and I know I made a lot of new friends and no doubt a few new enemies along the way. But that's what it takes to make positive things happen. You keep moving forward no matter what and hope that people understand and embrace the effort. The rest is up to the Universe and the movie gods.
I've looked at Life from both sides now
From Win & Lose and still somehow
It's Life's illusions I recall
I really don't know Life at all
In the final analysis, this movie won't make or break me and my BN Team. After all, nobody knows what the future holds - but I can say one thing with complete command and authority. This process has been a teachable moment in my life. Win or lose, I've learned a lot...and the most important thing I've learned is...if you never ever give up and never ever give in you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams and inspire those you love and work with to do the same - and that action can be life-changing for them. At that point it doesn't really matter how many critics love our movie or how much the worldwide grosses are a coupla years from now. What matters most is I did my best, I saw it through, I'm going to continue to make entertaining, marketable feature films the rest of my life and some members of my Cast & Crew will benefit immensely from their time spent with me creating Beautiful Noise. And for that I'm eternally grateful.
ST
Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at Life that way...
I admit it. Among other things, I'm a hopeless romantic...but I don't apologize for that 'cause it fuels my writing and enabled me to pen Beautiful Noise in a way that helps me tell the Story I wanted to tell. I'm anxious to see how people respond to the film and I carry a heavy load knowing that the decisions I made making this movie affect the forward motion of the careers of my terrific Cast & Crew...and my own. But I do love the process and I am proud of what we've accomplished - and this dream to create a full-blown indie production company here in Sarasota has become a reality. Now we're about to be judged, and...
Now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day
Making this movie is the hardest thing I've ever done. I mean, it's just been unbelievable what it took to see this through to this point...and as noted in the previous blog post, it's just the end of the beginning. Now the real heavy lifting takes place trying to raise the needed capital to promote our film and Sarasota indie filmmaking around the world. But I'm a believer. I was relentless in my pursuit of the goal to make a high quality, low budget film here on the Suncoast and I know I made a lot of new friends and no doubt a few new enemies along the way. But that's what it takes to make positive things happen. You keep moving forward no matter what and hope that people understand and embrace the effort. The rest is up to the Universe and the movie gods.
I've looked at Life from both sides now
From Win & Lose and still somehow
It's Life's illusions I recall
I really don't know Life at all
In the final analysis, this movie won't make or break me and my BN Team. After all, nobody knows what the future holds - but I can say one thing with complete command and authority. This process has been a teachable moment in my life. Win or lose, I've learned a lot...and the most important thing I've learned is...if you never ever give up and never ever give in you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams and inspire those you love and work with to do the same - and that action can be life-changing for them. At that point it doesn't really matter how many critics love our movie or how much the worldwide grosses are a coupla years from now. What matters most is I did my best, I saw it through, I'm going to continue to make entertaining, marketable feature films the rest of my life and some members of my Cast & Crew will benefit immensely from their time spent with me creating Beautiful Noise. And for that I'm eternally grateful.
ST
Monday, March 28, 2011
Beautiful Noise - the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Picked up the Master of our BN Soundtrack from Steve Connelly of Zen Recording and shipped it off to the company creating our CD's and Download cards. But before that epic activity I sat by myself in my production office and listened to the album start to finish. 18 songs filled with memorable lyrics and melodies and incredible performances from our Cast washed over me for over an hour. Beautiful Noise soars every time one of these songs is performed in the movie...yet when the album is listened to without interruption a different kind of experience unfolds...one that allows you to conjure up your own images of what the songs mean. In the context of the movie...these songs, collectively, literally make the film what it is...an entertaining and meaningful cinematic experience...at least from my completely biased point of view. But even without the film, these songs and this album serves as a wonderful example of what the Gift of Song can do to heal, inspire and transport us to a place where only Music can take you. Based on that prospect alone, buying this Soundtrack could be the best ten bucks you ever spent.
I'm proud of our movie and really excited about how the album turned out. You can purchase it this weekend at our BN Live! Concert in Sarasota Friday night or online this weekend at http://www.beautifulnoisethemovie.com/. Please let me know what you think of it.
ST
I'm proud of our movie and really excited about how the album turned out. You can purchase it this weekend at our BN Live! Concert in Sarasota Friday night or online this weekend at http://www.beautifulnoisethemovie.com/. Please let me know what you think of it.
ST
Sunday, March 27, 2011
End of the Beginning
I've been going flat out around the clock since the moment I stepped off the red-eye from L.A. Friday morning. It's hard to believe that today - Sunday, March 27, 2011 - is the last day of post-production on Beautiful Noise. Yesterday I approved the final pass of color correction and special effects and last night Marc and I edited in the revised End Credits. I can't say enough good things about the incredible job Courtney Penna & Brett Jones did on the cc & vfx...as now, coupled with the work I did all week with Dolby sound supervisor and master-mixer Dino Herrmann, the film looks and sounds like a completely different movie. For weeks now we've had a tremendous response from all those who were invited to critique various rough cuts of BN, but I can already tell from the quick review I had with Marc during the credits session that something amazing has taken place. Not only do all the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, but the effect of fitting them all together has created something new and fresh. It's now...finally...the movie I set out to make.
Later today I will sit alone with Marc and watch Beautiful Noise from start to finish from a moviegoers' point of view. Wendy's orders. I could tweak this forever, but now it's time to watch it without interruption and see and hear how it all washes over me. If something really jumps out and takes me out of the moment I know Marc can still go in and adjust...but otherwise, today is the last time I'll see this movie before we share it with the masses. I'm already starting to get the same feeling I had the day after we completed principal photography when I was overwhelmed with a cascade of relief, joy and depression all at the same time. The only saving grace is I have no time to dwell on any of those feelings because my full attention will turn tomorrow to prepping for the Beautiful Noise Live! Sarasota Concert next Friday at Riverviews' Performing Arts Center; leading my BN Team in an all-out effort to promote our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival starting April 9th; booking our US & European Movie & Concert promotional tour and - best of all - setting up our pre-production dates for the back-to-back filming of the Beautiful Noise prequel - Serenade and the sequel - Heartlight...both of which I'm filming back-to-back this summer and fall right here on Florida's Suncoast.
Tony Bennett is famous for stating that he's never worked a day in his life 'cause singing to him is his Bliss...it's not work. I can identify. I've been very fortunate in my life to have been able to pursue many different opportunities...some that were given to me...some that I created. But nothing remotely compares to my journey to become a Filmmaker and the creation of this movie out of thin air . I feel like an athlete who has given everything he has to help his Team win the Game and who left every ounce of effort he had out on the playing field...or artists like Neil Diamond or Bruce Springsteen, who just absolutely give it up and who pour their heart and soul into every single concert performance, leaving the stage only after they've given their all. I've been in the front row to see those guys empty their vessel in front of thousands to deliver the most memorable performance they possibly can. When they walk off that stage wringing wet you know they had nothing left to give...and win or lose...they shared a piece of their soul with you.
That's exactly how I feel. I can't do any more. I'm all in...and either way it goes, my BN Band of Filmmakers and I have emptied the tank. The result of our collective effort will be on display come April 9th at the Sarasota Film Festival and then at film festivals and showcases around the world. I can't wait to sit in the audience on Opening Night with my Cast & Crew and experience everything that has become Beautiful Noise...The Movie.
ST
Later today I will sit alone with Marc and watch Beautiful Noise from start to finish from a moviegoers' point of view. Wendy's orders. I could tweak this forever, but now it's time to watch it without interruption and see and hear how it all washes over me. If something really jumps out and takes me out of the moment I know Marc can still go in and adjust...but otherwise, today is the last time I'll see this movie before we share it with the masses. I'm already starting to get the same feeling I had the day after we completed principal photography when I was overwhelmed with a cascade of relief, joy and depression all at the same time. The only saving grace is I have no time to dwell on any of those feelings because my full attention will turn tomorrow to prepping for the Beautiful Noise Live! Sarasota Concert next Friday at Riverviews' Performing Arts Center; leading my BN Team in an all-out effort to promote our World Premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival starting April 9th; booking our US & European Movie & Concert promotional tour and - best of all - setting up our pre-production dates for the back-to-back filming of the Beautiful Noise prequel - Serenade and the sequel - Heartlight...both of which I'm filming back-to-back this summer and fall right here on Florida's Suncoast.
Tony Bennett is famous for stating that he's never worked a day in his life 'cause singing to him is his Bliss...it's not work. I can identify. I've been very fortunate in my life to have been able to pursue many different opportunities...some that were given to me...some that I created. But nothing remotely compares to my journey to become a Filmmaker and the creation of this movie out of thin air . I feel like an athlete who has given everything he has to help his Team win the Game and who left every ounce of effort he had out on the playing field...or artists like Neil Diamond or Bruce Springsteen, who just absolutely give it up and who pour their heart and soul into every single concert performance, leaving the stage only after they've given their all. I've been in the front row to see those guys empty their vessel in front of thousands to deliver the most memorable performance they possibly can. When they walk off that stage wringing wet you know they had nothing left to give...and win or lose...they shared a piece of their soul with you.
That's exactly how I feel. I can't do any more. I'm all in...and either way it goes, my BN Band of Filmmakers and I have emptied the tank. The result of our collective effort will be on display come April 9th at the Sarasota Film Festival and then at film festivals and showcases around the world. I can't wait to sit in the audience on Opening Night with my Cast & Crew and experience everything that has become Beautiful Noise...The Movie.
ST
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Inspiration from The Greek
Staying over one additional day in L.A. 'cause the Dolby Surround Sound sessions were extended the moment I heard post-production sound mix master Dino Herrmann play keyboard with some of Dean Johanesen's gorgeous guitar score for Beautiful Noise. I got so wrapped up in Dino's performance that I went back through the film and looked for other areas where Dean's score could be enhanced with piano and strings. The little spaces we found didn't seem like much at first glance, but by the time Dino and I zeroed in on them they became incredibly critical pieces of music that bridge dramatic sequences. Can't tell you how much I love meshing the sights and sounds of the movie together. The collaborative process is something I not only welcome but absolutely crave...and the Teamwork involved to bring the world Beautiful Noise is paying off immensely as I craft the final cut of my vision of the film.
For inspiration to start this last day of the Sound Design and final mix in the City of Angels I had Dino drive me up the street from his studio to a music venue that has always held a special attraction and reverence to me - the Greek Theatre - home of Neil Diamond's legendary "Hot August Night" shows and albums. Walking around the Greek, a beautiful 5,000 seat amphitheatre nestled in the most amazing locale I've ever seen, was nothing short of a religious experience for me. I played that classic vinyl album so many times all those years ago that all I had to do was stroll around the venue and let the total recall of every song from those live recordings wash over me. It was an amazing experience as my vivid imagination kicked into overdrive and transported me back to a time and place in my life where all my dreams and ambitions were all spread out in front of me.
Beautiful Noise the Movie is not about Neil Diamond in any way, shape or form and none of his songs are in the film...but those who know me well understand that everybody has a musical oasis in their life where they go to seek inspiration, guidance, pure enjoyment or to be healed from difficult circumstances that crop up - that's the magic of Music - and for me, the music and lyrics of Mr. Diamond have been a part of my DNA since my teens - so his musical vibe instinctively informs everything I do creatively. So the Story I've written and directed and the original songs I've chosen most definitely appeal to my senses and passions as surely as Neil's songs appeal to and represent his take on Life and Love. And that's the connection. Diamonds' songs move me...period. And this movie moves me emotionally in the same way. I hope that everyone who experiences Beautiful Noise comes away from it feeling something real. Love it...hate it...laugh...cry...identify with a character or two...groove to the music...whatever. I just hope it grabs you in some way. Then I know my Team and I have done our job.
Please let me know when you see it. Either way it goes, the feedback will be much appreciated.
I'm still learning.
ST
For inspiration to start this last day of the Sound Design and final mix in the City of Angels I had Dino drive me up the street from his studio to a music venue that has always held a special attraction and reverence to me - the Greek Theatre - home of Neil Diamond's legendary "Hot August Night" shows and albums. Walking around the Greek, a beautiful 5,000 seat amphitheatre nestled in the most amazing locale I've ever seen, was nothing short of a religious experience for me. I played that classic vinyl album so many times all those years ago that all I had to do was stroll around the venue and let the total recall of every song from those live recordings wash over me. It was an amazing experience as my vivid imagination kicked into overdrive and transported me back to a time and place in my life where all my dreams and ambitions were all spread out in front of me.
Beautiful Noise the Movie is not about Neil Diamond in any way, shape or form and none of his songs are in the film...but those who know me well understand that everybody has a musical oasis in their life where they go to seek inspiration, guidance, pure enjoyment or to be healed from difficult circumstances that crop up - that's the magic of Music - and for me, the music and lyrics of Mr. Diamond have been a part of my DNA since my teens - so his musical vibe instinctively informs everything I do creatively. So the Story I've written and directed and the original songs I've chosen most definitely appeal to my senses and passions as surely as Neil's songs appeal to and represent his take on Life and Love. And that's the connection. Diamonds' songs move me...period. And this movie moves me emotionally in the same way. I hope that everyone who experiences Beautiful Noise comes away from it feeling something real. Love it...hate it...laugh...cry...identify with a character or two...groove to the music...whatever. I just hope it grabs you in some way. Then I know my Team and I have done our job.
Please let me know when you see it. Either way it goes, the feedback will be much appreciated.
I'm still learning.
ST
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